What You Don't Know (edited)
by Sarah36396
Summary: Edited version of my original story. Chapter 7 is up. JJ/Reid, Hotch/Prentiss and a little Morgan/Garcia. Original story will be deleted after all chapters have been edited and posted here.
1. Bring On The Rain

**Pulled this down to edit and do a little re-writing. Will get chapters out asap. Please review and thanks for reading! Still JJ/Reid with a bit of Morgan/Garcia. Chapters will be edited in order and after all have been done the other version of this will be deleted.  
**

Paul ground his teeth as he glanced in the review mirror, worry gnawing at his stomach. The thick grey clouds continued to roll in behind him, gathering in a rise. The storm had been following him for nearly thirty minutes and he knew from the looks of thing it was going to be a nasty one. The wind was already howling, creating a suction like pull on the road that ran between the two mountains. He tightening his grip on the steering wheel, using his free hand to pull out his cell phone.

"Come on," Paul muttered, punching in his girlfriends number and waited for the dial tone that wouldn't come. "Damnit!" He cursed, tossing it back onto the seat and frowning. The light was going quickly and the mountains now cast deep shadows over the road. The woods that surrounded the area were alive with movement as the wind stirred the branches, causing them to creak and groan in protest.

He took his eyes off the road for just a moment to look in the review mirror once again and that was all it took; he felt the truck jerk as he rolled over something. The truck seemed to tilt as his front right tire began to deflate, the rim grinding on the road.

"Seriously?" Paul frowned as he pulled the truck to a stop, casting a glance at the approaching storm. He would have to move fast. He grabbed his phone before jumping out of the truck, jogging down the road. Paul began searching for the source of the flat tire and frowned as he came across a tack strip. "What in the hell?"

Lightning cracked across the sky and he jumped, jogging back to the bed of the truck and letting the tailgate down. He slid the spare tire out and his tools, carrying them around to the front. Frowning, he crouched next to the shredded tire, his thoughts still on the tack strip. He knew police used them to stop high speed chases, so what was one doing out here?

Paul's thoughts were interrupted as thunder rolled and the sky opened up. Rain began to fall in heavy sheets, instantly soaking him to the skin. He cursed some more before digging through his tool box, looking for the wrench. Just as he found it he heard a car and he stood up, peering through the rain as the headlights grew closer.

"Hey, I need help!" He yelled and waved as the car rolled to a stop behind him. "Over here!" He called as the door slam, turning his attention back to the tire bolts. He glanced back but the rain made it impossible to see the approaching figure. Paul struggled with the slick tire, finally tugging it loose and letting it fall to the ground. Just as he reached for the spare tire he felt something cold against the back of his neck. There was a click, then everything went black.

. . . . . . . . .

JJ sighed as she replaced the coffee pot onto it's holder, wiping her hands on the nearby towel. A storm had blown through early in the morning, right in the middle of her jog. By time she had gotten home she was soaked and ready to take a hot shower and crawl into bed. But instead she had to get ready and force herself to come to work. So far the day was off to a fantastic start.

She grabbed both cups of coffee before crossing the bullpen, heading for Spencer's desk. He was bent over a book, quickly thumbing through the pages. It still amazed her how fast he could real, how much information he was able to process. She smiled as she perched herself on the edge of his desk, sitting one of the coffees down next to him. "Hey there."

"Hey," Spencer looked up with a smile, closing the book. "Thanks," He took a long sip of the coffee, sighing contently. When he looked up JJ was studying him, her head tilited to the side. "Yes?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I think I am still in shock about the hair cut," she reached over to playfully ruffle his cropped locks.

"I am too, In a way. I like it though," he shrugged.

"I do too. Makes you look older."

"Thanks, I think," he chuckled. "How is my little buddy?" Spencer asked as he pulled out a file, thumbing through it,making sure his reports were done.

"Henry is doing alright. Spending the weekend with Will," she sighed. "I had to send him...I have full custody now, but what kind of mother would I be if I kept him from his father? Just because I hate him doesn't mean Henry has to."

"You are a good mom-no one would blame you if you kept Henry away from him."

"He cheated on me, not Henry. He needs his father around and I know Will loves him."

"Good point. I know I wished my father way around more often. You are doing the right thing."

"Thanks," JJ shot him a grateful look before laughing. Her gaze was drawn to Morgan as he entered the bullpen. He was soaked, his clothes clinging to him as water dripped off his face. "You know, you generally towel off after taking a shower."

"Shut up," He grumbled, peeling his jacket off and letting it fall onto the floor with a wet smack. "My dumb truck wouldn't unlock this morning so I stood in the rain for twenty minutes fighting with the lock. Then the windows rolled down and wouldn't roll back up. So I got to drive to work with rain blowing in through the windows. On top of that someone was in my spot this morning.

"Aw, you poor baby," JJ laughed. "I was out running when the rain hit, so I jogged home in it. You'll live."

"Not if I catch hypothermia."

"The chances of you catching hypothermia in this weather is-"

"Not yet kid," Morgan cut Spencer off. "I haven't even had my coffee."

"Fair enough," Spencer shrugged as Garcia stepped off the elevator. Her hair was plastered to her hair and her makeup was running- she looked miserably.

"I was running late and had to park on the top level. The furthest from the elevator." She ranted, flopping into a chair with a wet squishy sound. "It's pouring cats and dogs."

"Ever think to use an umbrella?" Emily commented as she entered the bullpen, tucking her Umbrella between her desk and the wall. She was wearing jeans a black button down, grinning as she looked at her two wet colleagues. Casual Friday seemed to have turned into Wet Friday.

"I parked right beside the elevator," Morgan protested. "I am wet because my truck is a piece of Garbage. Thank God I didn't have to park on the top level. There was only one spot left where we usually park- Had to cut some poor guy off to get it."

"It was you," Garcia hissed, turning in the chair to glare at him. "Why you dirty little-"

"Woah woah woah, wait a second," Morgan held up his hands like he was stopping traffic. "What did I do?"

"You took my spot! I was about to pull in when you whipped around the corner and took it!"

"Uh oh," JJ hid a grin, winking at Spencer before standing up to head to her office.

"Now you did it," Spencer smirked as Garcia got up, stalking towards his friend. "Might want to run."

"This morning just got a little more entertaining," Emily laughed, watching from her desk.

"It wasn't my fault!" He protested as she stalked towards him, backing up. "I had no idea it was you."

"You inconsiderate butt hole!"

"Garcia, Baby girl, come on now."

"Don't you dare baby girl me Derek Morgan."

"Aw, come on!"

"I am going to kill you!"

"Garcia, we are in a federal building," Emily tried not to laugh.

"I'm sure Morgan deserves whatever punishment you see fit, but it will have to wait," Hotch ordered as he strode through the bullpen. "We have a case that was personally placed on my desk and it is a bad one. Conference room, now."  
.

.

"Union Town, Washington. Population of…" JJ began, letting the statement hang for Spencer.

"Three hundred twenty six. Located in south east Washington. Lots of mountains and forest in the area. Lot of land."

"What he said," JJ smiled. "Paul McDonnel went missing yesterday afternoon during a down pour. The storm was awful. His girlfriend was supposed to meet him for dinner and she called the police when he didn't show up. They didn't really pay attention because he had only been 'missing' for two hours."

"So why are we taking the case? What if he forgot or just decided to ditch?" Morgan leaned back in his chair.

"They found his truck on one of the roads leading towards town. It was pulled over onto the side and a shredded tire was beside the truck. The spare and the toolbox were there as well, But Paul was nowhere in sight."

"So are we working a missing person?" Emily raised an eyebrow.

"No, he has been found...for the most part," Hotch commented.

"For the most part?" Garcia squeaked.

"What do you mean?" Spencer leaned forward, frowning.

"His arms were dropped off in a gun case in front of the police stations. His hands were placed in the girlfriends mailbox and his head was left on the steps of the local highschool. Police are searching the surrounding areas for any trace of other remains," Hotch clarified.

"Oh my god. If you need me, I will be in my cave. Where the technology does not spout nasty, creepy things." Garcia lunged for the door.

"The local police are requesting us there immediately," JJ continued. "Whoever is responsible is dangerous and obviously a threat to the community, even if he isn't a serial killer. They want this guy off the streets."

"Wheels up in thirty and be prepared for a rough flight- the weather is pretty nasty."

"What about Rossi?" Morgan frowned.

"He is on his way to the airport, he was having car trouble."

"He isn't the only one," Morgan grumbled.

"Let's get moving."

. . . . . . . .

"You ok old timer?" Morgan teased Rossi with a smile. Rossi's hands were clamped onto the arm rest of the plane and he closed his eyes as the plane lurched again, thunder rolling somewhere in the distance.

"Fine, Derek. Perfectly fine," he said through gritted teeth.

"JJ," Spencer said softly as he laid a hand on her arm. "Breath."

"I'm trying," JJ frowned, forcing herself out of her curled up position.. Her stomach hadn't agreed with the jerky plane at all and her head was pounding.

"Sorry," he awkwardly put an arm around her shoulders. "Are you going to be alright?"

"I'll be fine," She sighed, leaning against her best friends side and closing her eyes.

"It's not that bad," Hotch commented as he went over the case report, looking as calm and collected as ever.

"Show off," Emily grumbled, looking out the window at the rolling clouds and trying to ignore the nauseous feeling in her stomach.

Hotch just smiled slightly but didn't look up from the file. Something about this case already had him worried and he had a feeling things weren't going to go over very smoothly. He tended to trust his gut and his gut was telling him something was up.

"Hello lovelies," Garcia's face appeared on the laptop.

"Hey baby girl," Morgan smiled.

"Still not talking to you," She glared. "Jayje?" She asked as she caught sight of her pale friend.

"I'm fine," She smiled weakly.

"Yeah, you look like it. Anyway, I ran a background check on Paul McDonnel and his girlfriend. They are squeaky clean. Paul graduated three years ago from the local high school and was taking college classes online. His girlfriend, Anne, was two years older and has a degree in communications. Neither one of them had a criminal record. Paul was a saint in high school, star of the football team. Anne was on the top ten list for her graduating class. They met at the freshman homecoming game and were inseparable since then."

"Dig deeper, see if there are any ties between them and the highschool or police station. Those were targeted areas."

"Will do boss man. Garcia out. I would advise you all look away now and close your ears." The screen went black and they looked at each other in confusion.

Morgan's phone began to ring and he opened it with a frown. "Baby girl?"

"AAAHHHH" Came a loud, continuous screeching, even when he hit end call.

"Oh come on," he groaned, banging the phone on the arm of the chair. He tried to pry the battery out but realized the back had been glued stuck in under his thigh, muffling the sound. JJ smirked while Spencer chuckled.

"You messed with the wrong red head," Rossi commented, hiding a grin as he picked up a file.

"Garcia, I know you are watching," Morgan glared at the dark monitor."

"You will have hell to pay," was her only reply.


	2. A Path To Nowhere

**Edited version of chapter 2. Again, I am no longer updating the original story- everything will be complete here and the old one will be taken down. Please review and thanks for reading :) And yes, the case is being changed up a bit. Please bear with me!  
**

JJ yawned as she stepped out of the SUV, sleep still clouding her brain. Their flight had touched down an hour from town and from there they had drove. She had slept the entire time and now she was having a hard time waking up. Spencer moaned as he cracked his spine and Emily winced, shaking her head and shouldering her bag. Morgan looked up as a light mist began to fall from the grey sky.

"That is disgusting."

"We walk into bloody rooms and a cracking spine bugs you?" Morgan raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, it does," She glared at him.

"I think someone needs some more beauty sleep," Morgan muttered, shouldering his own bag as Rossi and Hotch approached them from across the parking lot.

"Everyone ready?" Hotch asked as he reached the circle of agents.

"Yep," Morgan stifled a yawn.

"Sure," Emily shrugged.

"Yeah," Spencer sighed.

"No," JJ mumbled, rubbing her eyes and shaking her head.

"Try not to be too enthusiastic," Rossi teased her as they headed towards the Sheriffs Office. They barely made it up the steps before a balding man stepped out of the office, placing a dusty brown hat on his head. He had a badge on his vest, a gun holstered to his side.

"Howdy. Y'all must be the FBI. Aaron Hotchner," The man shook Hotch's hand. His accent was from the south. He had wrinkles around his blue eyes and a friendly smile.

"That's correct."

"Names Rex Humphrey."

"This is my team; Emily Prentiss, David Rossi, Derek Morgan, Spencer Reid and-"

"Jennifer Jareau," He smiled, stepping forward to shake her hand.

"Rex," She offered him a smile.

"You two know each other?" Hotch asked.

"Yes. I used to play soccer with his sister in college."

"Small world, huh? I was on the university's football team," Rex explained.

"Captain," JJ laughed. "It's good to see you," She gave him a hug.

Spencer stiffened, making Morgan chuckle. "Jealous?" He said under his breath.

"No," Spencer lied, crossing his arms and pursing his lips.

"Right." Morgan rolled his eyes. Would the kid ever admit his feelings? No, because his big brain was always getting in the way. 'I'll have to talk some sense into him,' Morgan decided.

"Everything is set up," Rex said as he led them through the Sheriffs Office. "Victim boards on the right, evidence board on the left. Middle one contains a map of the area. Let me know if you need anything," he left them in a large room.

"Thanks," JJ smiled at him. After he left she picked her phone up, dialing Garcia's number.

"Speak, oh blond goddess."

"Right," She chuckled. "Can you run a search on similar cases in Washington area?"

"Yes ma'am. Give me thirty minutes."

"Alright." She hung up, turning to the board. "Have they found the rest of the body?" JJ leaned over Spencer's shoulder as he read a file.

"No. They haven't recovered the rest of him yet," he ignored her, his eyes still scanning the print on the page. Part of him knew he was playing dirty, but he didn't care. JJ frowned and shrugged as Emily raised her eye brows.

"We need to figure out why he is taking the body's apart." Rossi mused.

"The two obvious would be sexual release and a message. Leaving a head on the steps of a high school is pretty bold," Emily thumbed through the pictures.

"He targeted two major public places. He was trying to leave a statement- he isn't afraid of the police or being seen. Then there is the girlfriend. Why leave body parts in her mailbox?" JJ sighed.

"Maybe to scare her? Or revenge? Maybe she knows the unsub," Morgan offered.

"Well, the girlfriend is obviously terrified now," JJ commented. "She has agreed to speak to us."

"You and Reid can talk to her. Emily, you'll be with Morgan. Go to the sight of the accident, see what you can find. Rossi, you are with me. We need to go to the high school, talk to the kids who found the head."

"Alright. Rex gave us these," JJ groaned as she handed out the rain ponchos.

"I hate the rain," Morgan grumbled, pulling one on over his clothes.

"Let's roll, plastic people."  
. . . . . . .

"Everything ok?" JJ asked a silent Spencer. He had been fairly quiet since they left the station, only speaking when she had made a wrong turn. Other than that he had starred out the window, his arms crossed as his eyes followed the passing scenery.

"Yeah, fine," He mumbled.

"What's bugging you Spence?"

"Nothing, JJ. I don't want to talk about it right now."

"Alright," She frowned. He was being confusing. "I'm here for you though. You know that, right?" She kept her eyes on the road but squeezed his shoulder.

"I know." He turned to smile at her. "Thanks."

"Any time," She returned his smile. "I think this is the place," She double checked the address before pulling into the drive way. "I'm just going to run, I don't want to put that thing back on," she wrinkled her nose, glancing back at the wet poncho.

"Same here." He chuckled before opening his door, making a dash for the porch. JJ did the same thing, yelping as a stream of cold water ran down her back, making her shiver.

"Dang that's cold," she wiggled as the drop snaked its way across her skin. Spencer laughed before knocking on the door, leaning against the rail and waiting.

"Hello?" A young woman finally opened the door, peering at them through a crack in the door.

"Anna Sanders?"

"Yes…"

"I am Jennifer Jareau and this is my partner, Spencer Reid. We were told you were willing to speak to us?"

"Oh, yes. Come in." She opened the door wider and they walked off the porch and into a warm house.

"Can we ask you a few questions?"

"I guess. I've already told them everything I know," she said dryly as she led them into a small den. The inside walls were wooden, a stone fireplace near a leather couch. A deer head hung on the far wall, a bear rug thrown across the floor. The room was quite cozy and JJ felt like she was in some kind of resort.

"I love your house," JJ offered as an attempt to relax the woman and make her feel at ease.

"Thank you," she smiled then sighed. "My grandfather left it for me."

"It's very nice," Spencer smiled.

"So what do you need to know?" She sat down in a love chair across from them, curling her feet up underneath her.

"You said you were going to meet Paul the evening he went missing.?"

"Yes, at the old café in town. He had proposed that morning...we were going to meet up and discuss plans," She bit her lip, blinking back tears. "He never showed up though. He is always on time, always. I…I reported it to the police, but they said they had to wait twenty four hours before they filed a missing persons report. Then, the next morning…I went to check the mail…and…" She let the sentence hang, a few tears spilling over.

"I am very sorry," JJ frowned. "Did Paul have any enemies?"

"No. He had just moved here a few months ago, to be with me. He hadn't really gotten to know anyone yet."

"What about at work? What did he do?"

"He was working from at home from his computer; he ran his own travel agency. He would find the best prices for flights and hotels and help hook customers up... I can't think of anyone who would want to hurt him," She teared up again.

"I'm sorry," Spencer sighed. "Did he meet anyone new over the last few weeks? Or mention someone was following him, watching him?"

"No, he really hadn't met the locals yet. This is a busy time of year for him. Other than going back and forth moving furniture he hadn't gone anywhere without me."

"I see," JJ frowned. "Well, thank you for your time."

"You're welcome…Are you going to find him? The man who did this?" Anna bit her lip.

"We are going to do everything we can to find this man, I promise." JJ laid a hand on her shoulder before leaving the house, Spencer on her heels. "That never gets any easier."

"I know what you mean." He said as they raced back towards the SUV.

Once inside, JJ flipped on the heat, then the radio, just to have some kind of noise. "It really makes you think about life." She said quietly.

"Yeah," he agreed, wondering where life would take him, and if she would ever play a part in his future.

. . . . . . .

"I feel like a wet dog," Emily grumbled as they walked towards the truck that still sat on the side of the road, now sunk in the mud. Emily's bangs clung to her forehead, water dripping from her pony tail.

"Smell like one too," Morgan grinned impishly.

"Jerk," She laughed, nudging him into the ditch. He tripped, but recovered.

"Hey," he laughed. "So from the tire marks, we know the guy skidded right about…here." He stopped on the road, staring at the black marks.

"And his tire started to shred here," she stepped back a couple of steps, to the first piece of shredded tire. "Look at this," She crouched next to two metal plates that were sitting on the road. "What are those?"

"No idea," Morgan shrugged, pulling out his phone and taking a picture before placing them in a bag. "I'll send them to Garcia and see if she can come up with anything...They look familiar for some reason."

"Maybe I should talk to her?" Emily offered, thinking back to the incident on the plane.

"She has to forgive me sometime," Morgan chuckled. "Hey there baby girl."

"What?" She sounded annoyed and he heard her typing away in the background.

"I just sent you some pictures of some metal plates we found. Think you can figure out what they are?"

"Of course I can. Do you even have to ask?"

"No…Look, I'm sorry about taking your spot."

"I know that. I'm just giving you a hard time," She smiled. "Stay safe out there."

"Will do, baby girl." He chuckled, hanging up. "Told you."

"Right," Emily laughed. "Let's check out the truck."

Morgan followed her through the rain towards the truck, running his hand along the dropped tailgate. "We know he was changing his tire- the toolbox was open and the shredded tire was off."

"Why would his tire shred like that? It was just the bottom part, like it had been puncutured."

"Maybe Garcia will find something about the plates. Anyways, he was changing his tire and getting ready to put the new one on. Why stop?"

"The storm was moving in pretty quick. From his cell phone records it hit about the time his tire blew out."

"It was a nasty storm. What would make you stop in the rain?"

"Someone else," Emily frowned. "Maybe someone pulled over to help him."

"Then that someone is the last person to see Paul McDonnel alive."

"Look over here," She crouched once more a few feet behind the truck. "There are ruts here, like someone was trying to get out of the mud."

"It would be impossible to pull a tire track up. The rain has washed everything away."

"I have a bad feeling about this."

"I do to. We have no idea what we are up against."

"Let's hope Hotch and Rossi are having better luck."

. . . . .

"Aaron Hotchner? I'm Jack Russels," A heavy set man shook his hand. "I'm the principle. Rex told me y'all were heading this way."

"I see. This is David Rossi, my partner."

"Nice to meet you. How can I help you folks?"

"We need to speak to the students who found the head," Rossi injected.

"Alright. I can do that." He walked over to a speaker on his desk. "Kurt Russels, John Pulks, and Ryan Watters. Please report to my office immediately. They should be here any moment. I'll leave you to it."

"Is Kurt your son?" Rossi asked the man's back.

"Yes, he is." He shrugged before strolling off.

A few minutes later a tall, blond headed boy entered the office. He had brown eyes and a cocky smile. "What's your name son?" Rossi asked.

"John Pulks. You are?"

"David Rossi. This is Aaron Hotchner. We are with the FBI."

"Ah, FBI. Very cool. Hey Ryan," he commented as a black haired boy walked in. He had blue eyes a similar build. "These guys are from the FBI."

"Wicked bro. Name's Ryan," he shook their hands. "You here about the head?"

"Yes."

"Figured so. That's Kurt."

The last boy entered the office, hands in pocket. His head was down, his brown hair falling over his eyes, which were green. He was tall and lanky, wearing a hoodie and jeans. "Sup," he nodded to them.

"I'm-"

"David Rossi, I know. I've read your books." Kurt said sheepishly.

"I see. This is Aaron Hotchner."

"I've heard about you. The foyet guy, right?"

"Yes. Could you all answer some questions for us?"

"Sure dude."

"Whatever floats you boat man."

"First off, are you all friends?"

"Yeah, we grew up together right here in this town."

"I see. Rossi, why don't you talk with Kurt. I'll talk with Ryan. John, wait outside."

"Alright," he shrugged, leaving, while Hotch led Ryan into the other room.

"So Ryan, Tell me what happened." He asked as the boy sat down across from him.

"We were all hanging around the school yard, waiting for Kurt's dad to get here, to let us in. We get to go in before everyone else,since his dad is principle and all."

"What do you do when you get here early?"

"Hang around, do homework we didn't do the night before. Mess in the computer lab. That morning we were going to shoot some hoops and lift weights- it is off season."

"Go on," Hotch made a mental note to have Garcia run the school's internet history.

"Well, Kurt's dad was running a little late, so we decided to go see if another teacher was in the building…we walked up the steps, we had already seen the head. We figured it was some senior prank or something, you know how it goes. But then I noticed the blood and stuff. Kurt was seriously tripping. He nearly threw up. John, just stood there like he lost his voice. I called the police."

Hotch nodded, jotting down notes as he continued to question the teenager.

.

.

"So Kurt, why don't you tell me what happened?"

"Well, we decided to meet up early, play some hoop in the gym. My dad will let us in early, when no one's around. But he was running late for some reason."

"Do you know why?"

"Naw, I don't really talk to him a lot. We aren't very close. Anyway, we decided to go see if or was here, they work in the office. We started up the steps, trash talking the lame head prank the seniors were trying to pull. But man, we got up there and it was a freaking head. A real one. I thought I was going to be sick, I started freaking out. John was like paralyzed. Ryan called the police, he was the only one who kept a cool head. I mean, his dad was a cop. I guess he is used to weird stuff."

"Was a cop?"

"He was killed when his car crashed a few years ago."

"I see. Did you notice anything else unusual?"

"No. We didn't see anyone hanging around if that is what you mean."

"I see. Thank you for your time."

"Hold up!" Kurt grabbed his bag, digging around for a moment before pulling out a book. "Can you sign this? I am like a huge fan of yours. I saw you speak in DC last year."

Rossi chuckled before signing the book and handing it back to the boy.

"Thanks Bro," He shook Rossi's hand before leaving the older man to sit and ponder.  
_

"Their stories check out." Rossi informed the rest of the team as they entered the office. "Everyone had the same story and John even supplied some extra details; the only other person on the property was the Janitor and he has an alibi; he is on the schools security camera from the time he arrived to the end of the day. No cars were around and they didn't see anyone hanging around.

"Maybe they planned the stories?" Emily asked. "We have to look at this from all angles.

"No, I don't think so. They were just a couple of teenage boys fooling around before school. If they planned what they were going to say, they would have sounded more monologued. Each one was relaxed and willing to talk. I got called a bro," Rossi frowned. Morgan snickered and Rossi gave him a dirty look.

"Emily and I found some metal plates in the middle of the road around the area where his tire blew out. Garcia is looking into that now."

"And the school history," Hotch commented.

"And the financial records of McDonnel," Spencer added.

"Poor woman," JJ shook her head.

"Only other think we found was some ruts on the side of the road, like someone had pulled over and got stuck in the mud."

"The rain had washed any tire tread away so it was useless."

Hotch sighed,running a hand over his nape before yawning. "It is getting late. Let's find a place to stay and sleep on this. Maybe Garcia will have something for us in the morning."

"This isn't looking very good," JJ frowned as they stood up, heading for the SUV's.

"No, it isn't," Spencer agreed. Something wasn't right and he had a feeling it was right under their noses. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep until his figured it out- he just hoped he would catch it before something bad happened.

"If we don't find something soon, a killer is going to be roaming free. A killer who is very dangerous."

"This is bad," Was Hotch's only comment.


	3. A Bad Break

**Another chapter edited :P I have decided to make my Hotch/Emily ship a bit more prominent in the re-edits. PLEASE do not go read the other story to find out what happens next- the story is being completely changed in certain parts so it will not make sense! I am just using the other story as a base for editing. Thanks! **

JJ sighed as her eyes opened for what seemed the millionth time that night and she cast a glance at the clock, groaning. It wasn't even midnight yet. She had been lying in bed for hours, waiting for the sleep that would never come. It was their third day on the case and they were still coming up blank. Paul's remains were still missing, Garcia wasn't finding anything important and they didn't even have a suspect. Her gaze was drawn across the room to Spencer as he grumbled something, rolling over onto his stomach and sprawling out. They had drawn straws to see who would end up sleeping where and she was paired with the young genius. Hotch and Emily were in the room to her left, Morgan and Rossi across the hall.

The hotel wasn't spectacular, but it was better than some of the situations they had been in. Her thoughts drifted to one situation where they were all crammed in one room with pallets and she shuddered; the walls were leaky and the entire place smelled like mold. At least this place was clean and smelt good, even if it was smaller. The lobby had a nice fireplace and a area where you could just sit and read. Unfortunately there wasn't a WiFi signal within range and that meant she hadn't been able to talk to Henry; Will's phone was temporarily shut off so she had been skyping with Henry whenever he wanted to talk. She wondered if he was ok and if Will had put him to bed at a decent hour.

JJ's wild thoughts finally got the better of her and she sat up, running a hand through her hair as she reached for her pony tail that sat on the bedside table. She pulled her hair up before grabbing her over sized sweatshirt, slipping it over her "World's Toughest Mom" t-shirt that Garcia had bestowed upon her. She glanced at the gun that sat just under the bed before leaving it where it was. She shut the door as quietly as she could before turning down a random hall, mindful of the sleeping people around her. She wasn't sure how long she wandered before finding herself sitting in front of the fireplace, starring out the window as the rain fell, the drops snaking their way down the smooth glass.

Thirty minutes passed, than an hour, and she still wasn't any closer to sleep than she had been before she left her room. Her thoughts were still running wild and she couldn't seem to get a hold on them. Thankfully JJ was used to the lack of sleep; after Henry was born she learned to work on just a few hours of sleep. Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt someone sit down beside her, the couch sagging under the person weight.

"What are you doing up?" She turned to find Spencer sitting beside her, his hair sticking up at odd angles.

"I could ask you the same thing," He raised an eyebrow.

"True," she sighed before starring into the fire, watching the flames crack along the logs.

"What's up?" Spencer asked, leaning against the arm of the chair and studying her.

"Nothing, just thinking."

"I know that, but something is bugging you...can I guess?"

"Go for it," she said dryly.

"Henry and the case," He smirked when she raised her eyebrows. "I know you too well JJ."

"I guess you are right," She smiled slightly.

"Want to talk about it? Might be more helpful than starring out the window."

"Maybe. This case...something isn't right. We have never came up this blank before. The only evidence we have are two metal plates, which we still know nothing about and the locals aren't very talkitive. If anyone has any ideas on who did this, they aren't sharing. Then there is the High School...after the priest from the local church talked to them we haven't heard a peep from the boys. It is a small town, word normally travels fast, yet there aren't any rumors, no speculations."

"Maybe the town is a part of all this...small knit community, everyone grew up together; there aren't a lot of outsiders. For all we know the Sheriffs Department could be in on it."

JJ snorted, rolling her eyes. "Please, Rex Humphrey doesn't have the brains to pull something this cunning off. He barely has the brains God gave an mule."

"I thought you two were friends?"

"Barely."

"I see...So what's up with Henry?"

"I guess I just miss him. I am used to being able to see him every day," JJ shrugged. "I miss him, Spence, a lot. Nights like tonight I feel like a bad mom; Will put him to bed, not me. I wasn't there to give him a kiss and I wasn't even able to tell him goodnight."

"I am sure he will forgive you. He loves you a lot. Whenever I take him out for icecream or something he always talks about how cool mommy's job is," Spencer smiled. "You are his hero."

"Still...he is growing up without a father and I feel like that is partially my fault. If I had stayed at the Pentagon things might've been different between Will and I. I wasn't working long hours, I was there for them every night, Will didn't have to worry."

"Don't blame yourself for Will's stupidity JJ. He let a good thing go and that was his fault- the minute he talked to that woman he made a choice and you didn't have anything to do with it. Even if he was feeling lonely he could have talked to you about it instead of jumping into bed with the neighbor. "

"Why did you come back?"

"For Emily… but I felt like I belonged here, Spence. Y'all are my family. I love my job and always will. But I just wonder what would have happened if I made some different choices. Look at where you are now and ask yourself if you are happy."

"I am," JJ replied quietly before turning to smile at him. "Thanks Spence."

"No problem," he draped his lanky arm over her shoulder, giving her a squeeze. "I'll always be here for you."

"I know," she smiled, watching the fire pop. Her eyelids soon drooped and she fell asleep against Spencer side, her thoughts temporarily appeased.

. . . . . .

Emily yawned as she rolled into a sitting position, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She scanned the room, her eyes landing on Hotch as he pulled a black t-shirt over his head, rolling his shoulders. She raised an eyebrow as she watched him smirk into the mirror, his eyes landing on hers. "What?" She questioned.

"Got caught sneaking a peek, did we?" He turned around with a smile, grabbing his gun and belt from the table.

"You wish," She smiled. "I was just waking up and you just happened to be putting on a show."

"It was hardly a show. There wasn't even a pole."

"Ah, I see," Emily laughed. "Does the rest of the team know about your er, special set of skills?"

"I was kidding," Hotch said a bit more seriously.

"So I was," She grinned before getting out of bed, pulling a sweatshirt on and grabbing her phone.

"Hey, Hotch," Morgan called through the door, banging on it.

"Yes?" Hotch opened the door, giving Morgan a questioning look.

"Did JJ or Reid check in with you?"

"No, what's up?"

"Neither of them are in their room- JJ's gun in gone."

"Did they check in with you?" He turned to Emily.

"Like I said, just woke up," she frowned. "We do not have any leads, there is no reason for them to run off."

"We'd better find them- something could be up," Morgan crossed his arms.

"Wake Rossi up- you two check out the weight room and the pool area, Emily and I will take the lobby and laundry rooms."

"Got it," Morgan jogged back across the hall to his room.

Emily pulled on her shoes before following Hotch towards the elevators, worry gnawing in her stomach. What had the two gotten themselves into this time?

.

.

"Well, would you look at that?" Emily smirked as her and Hotch rounded the corner, catching sight of their two friends. JJ was curled up against Reid's side, her hand laced through his. Reid had his arm drapped over his waist, his mouth hanging open as he snored.

"That is against protocol."

"And we aren't?" She raised an eyebrow, nudging Hotch.

"That, Special Agent Prentiss, is an under the table ordeal."

"Right, Special Agent Hotchner," She rolled her eyes before dialing Morgan numbers. "We found them?"

"Where? I am going to kill the kid."

"Downstairs in the lobby. You've got to see this."

"Be there in a few." Emily hung up the phone before discretly walking past Hotch, lightly slapping him on the back of the head.

"Hey, what was that for?" He demanded.

"For the under the table remark."

"I was kidding!" He fumbled over the words, shock on his face. Emily smirked- she loved being able to throw him off his game.

"And so I was. You are just fun the mess with."

"Oh, am I?" Hotch raised an eyebrow. "Don't make me fire you."

"I'm sure you would," She smirked as Rossi and Morgan came around the corner.

"What would he do?" Rossi questioned.

"Oh, nothing," Emil waved her hand, dismissing the question. "Take a look at that."

"Well, damn," Morgan muttered. "Kid has some game after all."

"Right," Rossi snorted. "Game."

"What are you doing?" Hotch questioned as Morgan pulled out his cellphone.

"Garcia is going to want to see this," Was his only explanation as he snapped a picture, smirking. "Plus I can use it to torture him."

"You are awful," Emily laughed. "So who is waking them-"

"Not it," Morgan turned on his heel.

"Nope," Hotch smirked at her.

"Not-" Emily couldn't finish before Rossi backed out as well. "Well isn't that nice," she glared at their retreating backs before crossing the room to the two sleeping agents. "Jayje, it's time to wake up."

"Huh?" Her eyes snapped open then she blinked a few times. "Oh. Spence," She nudged him in the ribs. "Wake up." Emily laughed when he groaned, making a face.

"No." He grumbled.

"Yes." JJ smiled, wiggling away from him before stretching. "Time for work."

"Don't care," he started to snore again.

"Let's go," JJ rolled her eyes. "He'll get up in a few minutes."

"Alright," Emily laughed, following her towards the elevators. "So?"

"So?" JJ frowned.

"What was all that about?"

"Oh…I couldn't sleep. We talked, then fell asleep on the couch."

"Together," Emily grinned.

"Yeah, together." Even JJ smiled. "Do NOT tell Pen, alright?"

"What? Why?" Emily complained. They had been musing about the two agents for forever.

"Not until this case is over. I don't want my phone ringing every ten minutes."

"Well, Morgan might beat me to it. But the big question is if this case is ever going to be over?"  
. . . . . . .

"Hotchner," Hotch answered his phone.

"Hey superman, It's Garcia. I have news."

"I'll put you on speaker."

"Hello lovelies. I have news- I ran the plates and found a match, and boy was it hard! But alas, I prevailed. Our plates our from the state's prototype department. The are used on the bottom of tack strips to help stabalize them- keeps them upright and therefor causes more damage."

"That would explain what shredded Paul's tire," JJ mused.

"So who has prototypes."

"Every sheriff and police captain in the state," Garcia sighed. "Including Rex Humphrey."

"Guess we need to make some phone calls to establish alibis. Rossi and I will take the sheriffs, Emily and Morgan the police captains. JJ, Reid, can you handle Humphrey?"

"Of course," JJ rose from her chair.

"Remember, one of these men is a killer, so try to play it cool. Let's go."

.

.

"So when is Rex supposed to be back?" Spencer he sat with JJ on the steps outside the Sheriff's Department, waiting for the Sheriff to return.

"I'm not sure. His deputy said he went to eat lunch." JJ shrugged.

"So were you and him…" He let the question hang as he thought back to the first day the had arrived.

"Spence," She rolled her eyes. "Please. The guy has always given me the creeps."

"I thought you were friends?"

"I was friends with his sister, so I was always nice to him. But he would follow me around school, follow the people around that I liked, namely guys. It was weird."

"Wow."

"Yeah. It got kind of crazy. But then he graduated."

"I don't really blame him," He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth.

"What?" He eyebrows rose in surprise.

"N-nothing."

"No, what? Why?"

"I, er, just mean that um, only an idiot wouldn't like you." He swallowed, flushing. She laughed, smiling at his awkwardness.

"Thanks, Spence." She leaned against his side with a sigh.

"JJ?" He asked softly and she turned to look at him. "About last night..."

For the first time in a long time she couldn't find anything to say as she stared back at him. The sounds of town melted away, the bustle on the streets no longer registering in her mind. All that mattered was the fact that their faces were inches from each other. He closed the distance and JJ found herself kissing him.

A throat cleared behind them and they tore apart, blushing. "Heard y'all were lookin for me?" Rex at the bottom of the steps, glaring at them, his face red.

"Yes, we were. We need to ask you a few questions." JJ cleared her throat.

"Well, if you're done sucking face, I'll be in my office." Rex brushed past them, nearly stepping on Spencer's hand.

"Well, this ought to be a walk in the park."  
_

"His alibi isn't checking out Hotch," JJ frowned as Hotch entered the conference room. Everyone was there now except Spencer, who had went to get some coffee and use the restroom.

"Kurt established that he was with some friends at the time, not at dinner with his dad. He has admitted more than once that he doesn't have a good relationship with his father," Emily added.

"What about the other stations?"

"Alibis place them at work or with a partner. Only other person who doesn't check out is a Sander Mclain, but turns out he died of a heart attack that evening on his way to work. So that leaves Kurt. But why would he target Paul?"

"I may have the answer to that," Garcia's face appeared on the screen. "Paul was looking to buy one of the largest houses in the middle of town. He was planning on converting it into a resort type thing for people coming out of halfway houses and icky backgrounds. Rex has been sheriff for ten years and during that time, countless number of creepers have moved away- The bad kids dropped out and left the High School, the gang members moved, the scum left. But the thing is they all fell off the face of the planet. There was no paper trails left behind, no forwarding addresses or anything. No one has seem them since."

"So he is creating a utopia. The perfect imagine of a small town; no crime, no "bad" guy. Just a little town thriving in the growing world."

"We need to go pick Rex up. Where is he?"

"He left nearly an hour ago," JJ commented. "He was mad after we talked to him and said he didn't have to take this crap and left."

"Guys, where's Reid?" Emily frowned, noticing the youngest agent was still missing.

"I haven't seen him in a while. He said he was going to get a cup of coffee and clean up a bit," JJ frowned.

"Garcia, can you try to call him?"

"Already did, no answer. Let me check the security tape for the break room," the others heard tapping as she typed away on her keyboard. "Oh...oh no."

"What?" JJ demanded, bitting her lip.

"I… You need to see this."

_Spencer sighed, walking into the break room. He ran a hand through his hair before pouring himself a cup of coffee, staring out the small window, lost in thought. Rex walked up silently behind him before snarling._

"_Dr. Reid?"_

"_Yes?" He didn't have time to turn around.  
_

"_You're little office fling is over." Rex growled before hitting him over the head with his gun. He slumped to the floor, out cold. "You should have never came here. You should have stayed away from her, away from here." He grabbed a paper towel, wiping the butt of his gun off before tossing it into the trash "It's time for this to end."  
_

"Crap," Emily frowned.

"Dammit! Come on," Morgan snatched a pair of keys.

"He has Spencer," JJ sounded shocked.

"Come on, JJ. Let's go get him."

"Is there going to be anything left to get? We saw what he did to Paul," Rossi frowned.

JJ let out a strangled sound and Emily wrapped her in a hug. "Smooth Rossi, real smooth." But she had to agreed. Would they find the young agent in time, or was it too late for Spencer Reid.

. . . . . . .

Sirens wailed as black SUVs screamed to a halt outside a large two story house. The lights were all off and the shutters closed. JJ tore herself out of one SUV, lunging for the house before Morgan and Emily caught her arm.

"Stop! You know you can't do that," Emily dragged her back.

"I have too! He is in danger, again, because of me!"

"JJ, calm down." Hotch thrust a bullet proof vest as her chest. "I need to know if you can do this?"

"I can Hotch, just let me go. Please."

"He knows we are here," Morgan commented, watching a shade open briefly. "Check it out, near the bushes. There's a window down there, probably a cellar."

"Too obvious. Check out the far room on the right," Emily pointed. "The shade keeps moving. He is in there."

"Alright. Morgan, Prentiss, take the back door. Rossi, you and I will clear the house then JJ can get up there."

Everyone padded off, guns drawn. Hotch leaned against the door from and Rossi nodded. He kicked in the door and everyone filed in, checking their corners.

"Clear," Rossi called from the living room.

"Clear here," Hotch said from the kitchen.

"Clear," Emily shouted from somewhere in the back.

"Bottom floor is all clear," Morgan yelled. "Upstairs….where is JJ?"

"Dammit," Hotch cursed, running up the stairs. "She's going to get herself killed."

.

.

JJ ran around the corner, hardly blinking as she busted the thin door in and entered the room. Rex looked up with a sneer and JJ froze. Spencer was tied to a chair, his arms tied behind him. He had a gag in his mouth, blood smeared on his cheek. Rex sat on the floor around him, working on something.

Spencer struggled against his ties, glaring at Rex. That's when JJ noticed the floor. Explosives were rigged around the chair and covered the back of the wall. Rex held another in his hand, his eyes full of anger, as he pulled a lighter from his pocket.

"You shouldn't have come here with him! You should have picked me!" He yelled at her, a wild light in his eyes as he took a step towards her. This ends now."


	4. It Ends

**And another one bites the dust! I hope you are enjoying yourselves so far. Please review and thanks for reading :)  
**

"No," JJ cried, quickly firing off three shots. She re-aimed her weapon at Rex as he stumbled backwards against the window, his hand over his shoulder where two of the bullets had regained his balance, and evil smirk coming across his first.

"Nice try Agent," He sneered, striking the lighter. As he did a stray spark landed on the fuse of the stick he held and it hissed to life. Rex's eyes took on a crazy look as he starred at the stick and JJ sprang into action,

"Umph," JJ grunted as she tackled Spencer and the chair, sending them flying away from Rex. A bang sounded behind them and the glass shattered as Rex was thrown from the room and out the window. Fire quickly began to spread around the window, threatning to light the remaining fuses and blow the two agents to bits. JJ snatched the nearby knife and cut Spencer loose, yanking him to his feet.

"Thanks," He rubbed his wrist as he ran, JJ right on his heels. They made it out the door as another explosive hissed to life and JJ knew they didn't have much time.

"Clear out!" JJ yelled as they tore towards the stairs, smoke curling through the air.

"Clear out!" Hotch repeated the order, grabbing Emily and Morgan. Rossi was already out the door, the fire department on the line.

"Spence, come on!" JJ insisted as he tripped not even twenty feet from the door, grunting as he landed hard.

"JJ, get out of here!" Spencer looked up at her, his eyes pleading her to go.

"No, Spencer," JJ tried to run back to him, but Morgan stepped inside grabbing her, hauling her from the house. He turned her loose, turning back towards the house, but Hotch and Rossi grabbed him, hauling him back.

"Reid's in there!" He tried to tear away from them, but they held fast as fire engulfed the entire top floor, windows shattering everywhere.

"You can't go in!"

"Spencer," JJ struggled against Emily's hold.

"Reid!" Morgan shouted for his best friend.

The world seemed to stop as an explosion ripped the rest of the house apart. Windows shattered all throughout the house, fire leaping to the roof. JJ let out a scream but Emily pulled her back behind the SUV as a second wave of explosives went off, shooting flame into the sky.

JJ sank to the ground, tears streaming down her face. Morgan kept opening and closing his mouth, but nothing came out. "Reid," Emily said softly, falling against Hotch's chest. He wrapped an arm around her back, dropping his head.

"Well hellfire," Rossi muttered as he squinted towards the house, a figure emerging from the smoke.

"Oh my god!" Emily tore away from Hotch and they ran towards the house.

Spencer stumbled from the house, coughing and covering his mouth with his arm. Smoke billowed out behind him and he dove as the house shook again. He landed with a thud, pushing himself up. Then JJ and Hotch were there, dragging him behind the SUVs.

"Hey," He said weakly, coughing again as he tried to bring his friends into focus.

"We need an ambulance!" Hotch demanded.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again kid, EVER." Morgan frowned but reached over to ruffle his hair.

"Right," He propped himself up against the tire with a groan. "JJ?" He scanned the faces.

"Right here," She sunk down next to him. "Are you alright?" She blinked back tears, lying a hand on his shoulder.

"I've been through worst."

"I'm sorry I left you."

"Don't be. I am glad they drug you out." He shifted so he could look at her. Hotch and Morgan walked off a bit, giving them some room. Rossi got on the phone, raising hell and demanding an ambulance. Emily sighed, sitting on the bumper and looking at the burning remains of the house.

"Why?"

"To keep you safe."

"I could've lost you today," She said softly.

"But you didn't," He sighed as he leaned against her, holding his shoulder.

"You're hurt," She frowned.

"Just my shoulder."

"Where's the ambulance?" JJ frowned, wondering what was taking so long.

"I'm not sure. Did you know that it usually takes an emergency response team-"

"Spence," She smiled weakly. "No facts right now, please?"

"Alright," he chuckled. "Are you ok?"

"I am perfectly fine," She wrapped her arms around him, dropping her head against his chest.

"Hey, I'll be fine too," He insisted, frowning as he felt tears soak into his shirt.

"Still," She sighed shakily.

"Clear out," An EMT ordered as they pushed a gurney through.

"Come on," Emily helped JJ up. "We'll be there soon," She promised Spencer.

"Yeah, alright." He frowned as they made him lay down. "I hate hospitals."

"Don't we all?" Hotch asked.

"I'll be there," JJ promised.

"I know. JJ?" Spencer asked as they loaded him into the back, craning his neck so he could see her.

"Yeah?" She tried to peer around the EMT's as they started to shut the doors.

"I love you."

"I love you too," She replied, but the doors were already closed.

. . . . . . .

"Hey there," Emily grinned as Spencer yawned, stretching.

"Hey," His eyes scanned the room. Hotch's jacket was draped over the back of Emily's chair and Morgan's phone was on the table. "Where is everyone?"

"Eating. They will be back soon."

"How long has she been up here?" His gaze landed JJ. She was asleep, slumped over the arm of the recliner. Her hair fell around her face and she kept trying to readjusted. Spencer was willing to be the chair was uncomfortable.

"For a couple of hours," Emily smiled. "We couldn't get her to leave- Hotch is bringing her something back."

"I've been asleep that long?" He frowned.

"Yeah, You were pretty banged up internally; smoke inhalation and all that. I am going to grab something to eat. Want anything?"

"Yeah, the usual."

"Alright. I am glad you are ok." She squeezed his shoulder before leaving.

"Hey there," Spencer grinned as JJ's eyes finally fluttered open. She craned her neck, wincing as pain shot through it.

"Ow," She grasped it with a groan. "That hurt's."

"I bet," He moved over a bit before patting the bed. "Try this. Not much better though," He chuckled.

"Better than that chair," JJ smiled, lying down beside him and curling up under the thin blanket with a yawn. "How do you feel?"

"Like a house blew up on top of me," He teased.

"Very funny," she rolled her eyes.

"But seriously, I'm fine. Promise."

"Alright," She laid her head on his chest with a yawn.

"Go back to sleep."

"I plan on it," she smiled before reaching up to kiss him.

"I could get used to that," He said with a chuckle.

JJ smiled, nodding. She could definitely get used to it.

.

.

"How are you feeling?" Hotch asked as he sat down beside Reid's bed, talking softly so he wouldn't wake JJ.

"Pretty good, actually. But that could be the pain pills talking," he chuckled.

"We are all glad you are ok. You really had us worried, some more than others," He smiled, nodding towards JJ. Spencer blushed before clearing his throat, looking Hotch in the eye.

"I know it is against protocol and all, but-"

"But nothing," Hotch shrugged. "What Strauss doesn't know won't hurt her. Besides, If I punished you I'd have to punish Emily and myself. Sometimes it is ok to bend a few rules."

"You, bend rules?" Spencer gaped at him.

"Why does everyone think I am so uptight," he groaned, raking a hand through his dark hair.

"Apparently Emily doesn't," Spencer couldn't help but smirk. JJ shifted in her sleep, her hand landing on his chest as she mumbled something.

"We are pretty lucky," Hotch mused as he thought of Emily. "Pretty lucky indeed."

.

.

"So what happened to Rex?" Spencer asked once the flight had taken off. He had already pulled a book from his bag when Morgan and JJ sat down across from him and he knew he wasn't going to get a lot of reading done.

"He was dead by time he hit the ground. The explosive really tore him up," JJ frowned. "I called his sister...it was weird. We were able to catch up and I was able to comfort her when she needed it. It had been a while since we talked."

"At least you were there for her," Morgan mused. "Kurt wasn't even surprised when we told him about his father. Said he knew it was bound to happen sometime."

"What happened to Anna?" Spencer looked up from his book.

"The police were able to locate Paul's remains and give her the closure she wanted. The town pulled together and raised enough money to open the resort anyway."

"It is nice to have a case that ends well," Spencer sighed. "So, anyone up for some poker?" He asked the plane.

"I'm in," Emily smirked, jumping seats and next to him.

"Me too," JJ smirked.

"In," Morgan grabbed a deck of cards.

"I am going to sleep," Rossi stated, pulling his headphones on.

"Pass," Hotch mumbled, lost in a case file.

"Winner doesn't buy lunch for a week."

"I am obviously going to win," Spencer smirked.

"Only because you cheat!" JJ protested.

"He won't be buying lunch regardless," Hotch interjected. "You are on one week's rest when we return."

"What?" Spencer whined.

"You heard me," Hotch smiled into his file. Things were finally back to normal

**One week later:**

"Spencer Reid!" Garcia tackled Spencer as he stepped off the elevator. "We missed you around here!"

"Baby Girl, he has to breath," Morgan chuckled as he reached over to "punch" Reid on the arm. "Welcome back kid."

"Hey guys," he chuckled.

"Look who finally decided to come back to work," Emily grinned at him.

"Hey, I had to milk it for all it was worth," Spencer teased.

"Milk what?" Hotch suddenly appeared behind them.

"I, uh, I meant-"

"I was kidding," Hotch threw his hands up in the air. "I give up," he muttered, trudging towards his office.

They shared a laugh before heading for the bullpen, ready to start the day

.

.

"We've got a case," JJ commented, walking through the bullpen, file in hand.

"This will be the last one before break at least," Morgan chuckled, standing up and stretching.

"Joy," Emily got up with a yawn. "You think the creepers would settle down for Christmas."

"Statistically, crime rates tend to go up around the holiday's. People tend to have more valuables in their houses, therefor prompting robbers. Not to mention, more shop lifting occurs."

"What are the odds that Rudolph is going to land on my roof?" Emily rolled her eyes.

"None. Scientifically, there can't be a flying reindeer. Their mass-"

"It's good to have you back kid," Morgan said with a chuckle.

JJ smiled at him, reaching up to kiss him. "Yeah, it's good to have you back."


	5. Christmas

**And another one down! I am pleased with the edits so far and I hope you are as well. It is Christmas time for our favorite Agents and their families :) I am putting Henry at 3 and since Jack is three years older he would be 6.  
**

"Mommy! We go see Santa?" JJ's three year looked up at her, blue eyes pleading.

"In just a minute Henry," She smiled as she picked him up, sitting him on her hip and kissing the tip of his nose. He giggled, hiding his face in the crook of her neck.

"Emmy, can I go look at video games?" Jack turned his brown eyes on Emily, grinning at her. Emily had been spending more and more time with Hotch and Jack and now the boy loved being around her.

"In a minute. I have to run into this store real quick," Emily ruffled his hair. "Then we can see if we can find you a game, okay?"

"Kay. Hey, Henry, watch this," his attention was turned to his cousin as he performed a magic tree that Reid had showed him. Henry giggled, clapping his hands.

JJ, Emily and Garcia had decided to turn their Saturday into a shopping day; there were still last minute gifts to buy before Christmas. Two of the women would watch the boys while the other shopped, then they would trade off. The guys were still at Rossi's wrapping gifts and trying to assemble the bigger toys.

"So what do you want from Santa?" JJ smiled as they sat down at a food court table, Henry in her lap.

"Puppy!" He squealed.

"A puppy huh?" JJ laughed, ticking his sides.

"Yeah!" He giggled, squirming in his lap."

"Maybe Santa will bring you one," JJ winked at him, earning a big grin.

"What about you Jack-Jack?" Garcia asked the six year old.

"I want a new soccer ball! And a game, and a football, and a tv, and a-"

"A whole bunch of stuff," JJ summed up for him with a laugh. "Do you know what you are going to get for you dad?"

"Uh huh! Emily helped me pick it out! It is really cool!" Jack beamed at her.

"What about you Henry?" Garcia smiled.

Henry just shrugged, occupied with JJ's hair clip.

"Well find something," JJ reassured her son. Henry and Will had drifted apart lately- Henry wasn't old enough to understand why daddy wasn't around anymore. All he knew was that Will wasn't there and Spencer was.

"Alright ladies, I'm ready." Emily came out of the store holding a bag.

"Santa now?" Henry looked at his mother again.

"Yeah, can we see Santa?" Jack was practically bouncing up and down in his seat.

"Yes, we can go see Santa now." Emily laughed. "Come on."

The trio of women led the two boys towards the center of the mall, where large crowds stood in line for "Santa." They got in line, making sure to not lose track of the boys. It would be too easy in this crowded place and they were all ready leery after some of the cases they had worked.

"This is the best part of the mall," JJ said sarcastically, making Emily laugh.

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

"Guys, I still don't know what to get Hotch or Reid," Garcia frowned.

"I can't figure out what to get Rossi," JJ sighed.

"I got Hotch these," Emily snickered, holding up the pair of elf boxers.

"Oh my god," JJ laughed. Garcia went wide eyed, then burst into laughter.

"I can't wait to see his face on Christmas." Garcia laughed.

Plans had already been made for Christmas day; Everyone was going to meet at Rossi's place to open gifts. "Santa" had been informed to deliver the presents there. The boys had fretted at first, worried that Santa might not remember, but now they had forgotten their worries; Christmas was only a few days away. After opening presents the day would be spent eating, talking and hanging out.

"It's almost our turn!" Jack stood on his tip toes, trying to see over the heads of other children. JJ smiled as she watched him and Henry peer around the legs of other adults. Jack was beginning to look just like Hotch, with the exception of his light brown hair. Henry was tall for his age and was already proving to be pretty clever. He was growing out of his "Will" looks and now resembled his mother, all the way down to his blue eyes and blond hair.

"I know! You aren't going to be afraid, are you?" JJ remembered the first time they took Henry to see Santa. He had been one and a half and he had been terrified. As soon as the man took him he started wailing, kicking and screaming.

"Santa's a good guy!" He grinned.

"A good guy with gifts," Jack giggled.

"Alright boys," Garcia smiled, ushering them forwards. "Who's first."

They looked at each other, then towards the ladies, then back at each other. "You!" Both boys pointed at each other.

JJ laughed, winking at Emily. "Henry, you are smallest, you can go first."

"O-ok." He frowned as JJ led him up to Santa.

"Hey there little feller," Santa grinned at the blond haired boy. "What's your name?"

"Henry," he said bashfully, hiding behind JJ's leg.

"Why don't you tell me what you want for Christmas?" He asked with a smile as JJ sat Henry on his leg.

"I want a puppy," he whispered.

"Is that all? There's got to be more? What about an elephant, or a hippo?"

"No," Henry giggled. "It is too big."

"Oh, silly me." The man winked at JJ and she smiled. "What else do you want then?"

"It's secret."

"Oh really? You can't even tell Santa?"

"Well…Maybe." He leaned over to whisper in Santa's ear. JJ was, intrigued, wondering what the boy could have said.

"I see. Well, I'll talk to my elves and see what they can do. But Henry?"

"Huh?"

"If it doesn't happen, it's not your fault."

"Kay," he nodded earnestly before hopping down, going to stand beside Emily and Garcia. "Ma'am, you're little boy just made my day."

"Thanks," She smiled before going to pick Henry up, hugging him, as Jack scampered onto Santa's lap.

"Hi, I'm Jack," He grinned.

"I knew that," Santa grinned, tapping his nose. "I know everything, remember?"

"I know that," Jack giggled.

"What do you want for Christmas?"

"I want a new soccer ball! And the new Spyro game," he grinned.

"Oh really? Spyro is cool," He grinned. Emily laughed, shaking her head. The boy loved anything that had to do with the little purple dragon.

"And one more thing." Jack grinned.

"What's that?"

"A new mommy." He looked right at Emily.

. . . . . . .

"Poor little guys," Garcia smiled, turning around in the passenger seat. JJ sat in the back between the boys; Jack's head was on one leg, Henry's on the other. Both were out cold, exhausted from their long day of shopping.

"They are exhausted," JJ smiled, stroking the back of Henry's head.

"So am I," Emily half laughed, still kind of surprised by Jack's Christmas wish. Her and Hotch had been dating for a while now, which thrilled Jack, but she wasn't sure if he would ever think of her as a mother. Maybe just an aunt. But she had apparently been wrong.

"At least we got that done," JJ yawned.

"We're dropping them off at Hotch's right?" Garcia asked.

"Yeah, so we can go wrap all this stuff. They would find a way to peek if they were there," JJ laughed.

"Let's unload the heavy cargo," Emily grinned as they pulled up to Hotch's house.

"We're on it," Spencer chuckled as he followed Morgan and Hotch from the house.

"Where's Rossi?" Emily raised an eyebrow.

"Trying to figure out what station the game is on. Hey there sleepy boy," Hotch smiled as Jack yawned.

"Daddy," he acknowledged as Hotch picked him up with a grunt.

"He is getting too big." But it didn't bug him as Jack's head flopped onto his shoulder, his hand curling around Hotch's shirt.

"I know how that goes," JJ smiled as Spencer easily picked Henry up.

"Spencer," The boy grinned, wide awake now.

"Hey buddy," He laughed, propping him on his hip. "Want to go watch some football, maybe take a nap?"

"Yeah!" He giggled, wrapping his arms around Spencer's neck.

"We'll see you soon," JJ promised, giving him a brief kiss.

"Take your time," He chuckled. "See y'all."

. . . . . . .

**One week later:**

"Mommy! You GOTTA wake up!" Henry bounced onto the bed, crawling over Spencer, who grunted as the boys knee found his stomach.

"Easy Henry," he blinked a few times before sitting up, noticing it wasn't even light outside.

"But it's Christmas! We gotta go or uncle Rossi will take our presents." Henry gave Spencer a very serious look that made him laugh.

"He won't, I promise." Spencer smiled, grabbing the little boy and tickling his sides.

"Spencer," he giggled, wiggling away.

"Henry," He chuckled, ruffling his hair.

"I love you," he said suddenly, throwing his arms around his neck.

"I love you too," he smiled, patting his back. "Now why don't we wake your mom up so we can eat?"

"I am awake," She smiled up at them. "Hey there monkey," She reached over to tickle Henry's ribs.

"Mommy," he giggled, crawling underneath her arm. "I'm hungry."

"Want to know a secret?"

"Yeah!"

"I am too," She winked, sitting up. "Morning," She reached over to kiss Spencer lightly.

"Good morning," he chuckled as the boy grinned at them.

"Let's go!" Henry darted from the room and JJ knew it was going to be a long day.

.

.

"Henry," Jack grinned as the three year old raced into the living room.

"Hey Jack," he grinned.

"Hey buddy," Morgan chuckled, nudging the boy with a grin.

"Hey," He giggled, tackling him. Jack joined in and soon all three were wrestling on the floor.

"Looks like we have three boys for Christmas instead of two."

"Har har har," Morgan rolled his eyes.

"Has everyone ate?" Rossi entered the room with a yawn. "There's all kind of food in the kitchen. And that tree is at max capacity. Santa had a hard time fitting all that under there," he chuckled.

"When can we open gifts?"

"In a second," Spencer laughed.

"Hurry!" The boys insisted.

"Alright, everyone gather around," Hotch entered the room, wearing a Santa hat. Emily grinned and Morgan snickered. "Should we let the boys go first?"

"Hmm...I dunno.." JJ smiled

"I think I should get to go first," Morgan teased the boys.

"No! We get to go first!" Henry and Jack giggled.

"Alright. Let's see, here is one for you… and one for you." Hotch handed each boy a present.

"Go at it," Garcia grabbed a camera.

"Let's see who it's from?" Hotch read the tag. "It's from Aunt Pen. And Jack's is from Uncle Morgan."

"Awesome!" Jack grinned as he ripped the paper off. "No way," he held up the box. It was a motorized motorcycle that could do all kinds of tricks. "Thanks!"

"No prob," Morgan chuckled.

"Cool," Henry giggled as he pulled the "laptop" out of the box. It had spongebob on the front and a keyboard inside. "What's it do?"

"It's got little spelling games and stuff," Garcia laughed.

"Thanks!" he giggled, grabbing the next present Hotch handed him.

.

.

The day went on and presents were worked on until everything was opened. Everyone was quite pleased with their presents and the boys were currently playing together in the living room. Everyone else stood around the bar in Rossi's kitchen, listening to Christmas music and chatting.

"JJ, I think you're surprise present is ready to come out," Morgan commented, coming from downstairs.

"Alright then. Bring him on down," She laughed. "Henry!"

"Yeah?" He ran into the kitchen, Jack on his heels.

"I have one more gift for you."

"Really?" He wrinkled his nose. "There aren't any boxes left."

"Well, close your eyes. And sit down on the floor."

"Okay," he giggled, doing as he was told.

"Morgan?"

"Here goes," he turned the wiggling puppy loose. It ran over and tackled Henry, lapping at his face. It was black with four brown feet and a white patch on his chest.

"Woah!" Henry giggled, grabbing the puppy and rolling over onto the floor as it dragged him. "Is he mine?"

"Mhm." She smiled.

"Yay!" He squealed, wrapping his arms around the fluff balls neck.

"You get to name him."

"Hank! Like that book you read me, Hank the Cowdog."

"Very nice," JJ laughed.

"Hey Henry, ready to help me out?" Spencer bent down to his level, petting the puppy as he licked Spencer in the ear.

"Uh huh!" He giggled before running into the living room. JJ cocked an eyebrow, but he just grinned, shaking his head.

"Come on," Rossi nudged Morgan and they filed into the living room. Garcia grinned, grabbing her camera and scurrying into the living room. Emily was smiling as she went with Hotch, Jack following them.

"Does everyone know what's going on except me?" JJ frowned.

"Pretty much," Spencer grinned.

"Mommy!" Henry called from the living room.

"Coming?" She walked towards the living room.

JJ entered to find Henry holding a small box wrapped in paper, a huge grin on his face. He looked at Spencer, who nodded. "You gotta open it!"

"Oh really?" She asked with a smile, taking it in her hands. It was very light. Garcia sat on the couch, filming the whole thing while Jack wiggled. She peeled back the paper to find a small box. Her gaze instantly shot to Spencer, who just grinned.

"Open it mommy!"

"Alright, I am." Her eyes widened as she found the small ring inside, turning back to Spencer. "Spence…" Her mouth opened and closed.

"JJ, Will you marry me?"

"Yeah, will ya marry him?" Henry bounced up and down, Hank racing around his legs, yapping as he was caught up in the excitement.

"Of course," She wrapped him in a hug before kissing his deeply, earning a round of awes. It was by far the best Christmas ever.

.

.

"Well, I DIDN'T see this coming," JJ chuckled as she covered the two sleeping boys up. They were on a pallet in Rossi's living room, not too far from the fireplace. Hank was curled up between them, his head buried in Henry's armpit. A snow storm had hit half way through the day and now the family was stuck at Rossi's. The boys had passed out close to ten, exhausted from the days excitment. Their toys were piled by the tree; every single one had been tested.

"Me either," Emily yawned as she stretched, smiling when Hank growled in his sleep. "I've got to admit, he is adorable Jayje."

"I know right? He was the friendliest of the bunch," She grinned.

"Everything is put up," Hotch commented as he entered the living room. "Morgan is sleeping on the couch. Em, you and I can take the spare bedroom on the top floor. Rossi said JJ and Reid could use the one down here."

"Cool deal," JJ yawned. "I am getting pretty tired."

"The day catching up to you?" Morgan chuckled as he entered the living room with a blanket, flopping onto the couch.

"Just a little," she yawned. "I'll see you guys in the morning."

JJ made her way to their temporary room, finding Spencer passed out already. She smiled before changing into a pair of old sweats, crawling into bed next to him and yawning.

"Hey," he said sleepily.

"Sorry, didn't meant to wake you up," JJ apologized as she laid her head on his chest.

"It is alright," he smiled. "So, how did today rate?" He asked after she kissed him.

"It was the best Christmas ever," JJ smiled, kissing him once more.

"Bet I can make it even better," Spencer said boldly, grinning at her.

"Mmm, I bet you could," JJ smiled as he nuzzled her neck. "It is going to be a Christmas to remember."


	6. The Meeting Place

**Another chapter down :P Please review!  
**

JJ jumped when she felt a cold nose being pressed into her ear and she turned over, pulling the blanket over her head. "Spence, the puppy want's out," She grumbled, ignoring him as he pawed at the blankets. "Hank," She groaned as his head popped underneath the comforter, licking her face. JJ sat up, shooting a still sleeping Spencer a dirty look before rolling out of bed, grabbing her sweatshirt and pulling it on. Despite her socks she shivered as her feet hit the cold hardwood floors, chills running down her back Hank jumped to the floor, looking back at her before padding out of the room, his tail fanning the air.

"No, I don't want to dance," Spencer muttered in his sleep as JJ left the room. A smile graced her face before she followed Hank down the steps, into the dark kitchen. She flipped on the back porch light before undoing the deadbolt, opening up the door for Hank. He yapped at JJ appreciatively before racing outside, straight for the bushes.

JJ smiled as she slipped on her slippers, stepping outside and quietly shutting the door before her. Her eyes scanned the shadows as a cold wind blew across the backyard, making her shiver. Hank had his nose planted on the ground, his tail raised as he patrolled the perimeter of the yard. Even though he was a puppy Hank thought he was tough stuff. He would bark at the neighbors dogs and chase cats, trying to be as loud as possible. Although JJ was still leery of dogs, Hank was different. He had become apart of the family and he was Henry's best friend.

JJ sighed as her eyes once again scanned the backyard, her mind drifting to some recent cases. She suddenly felt panicy and she urged Hank to hurry. "Come on you silly dog!" She muttered. Hank just looked at her before diving under a bush, barking at something. At the same moment a hand landed on her waist and she jumped, spinning around, her fist raised.

"Woah! Easy." Spencer held up his hands in surrender and stepped away from her, out of her punching range. "Jumpy much?" He raised an eyebrow.

"God, Spence, don't do that! You scared me half to death! I could've punched you!"

"You know that's not possible, right?" He smiled.

"Oh, shut up." JJ glared at him before crossing her arms, turning attention back to Hank as he rattled through the bushes. Their yard had become a playground for the puppy: The tall wooden fence was lined by shrubs and trees, providing plenty of shade for the backyard. The flowerbed had become his personal bone bank, the deck his sunbathing booth. The puppy loved to dart through the bushes, weaving around the stems as he chased butterflies and rabbits.

"I am sorry for scaring you," Spencer smiled at JJ, pulling her into a hug. "Forgive me?"

"Mmm, Maybe this time," JJ smiled at him, planting a kiss on his lips. Her attention was drawn back to Hank as he scratched at her leg, whinning, letting her know he was ready to go back inside.

"Good boy," Spencer bent down and scratched Hank between the ears, laughing when Hank growled at him playfully. "You're a dork."

"Can we please go back to bed now? It's like three in the morning," JJ stifled a yawn.

"It is four actually," He opened the door and Hank bolted ahead of them, skidding on the kitchen tile as he headed for the stairs. He took them two at a time, his ears flopping up and down as he bounded up the stairs. JJ locked the door back and turned the porch light off before kicking her slippers off and following the puppy.

"I do NOT want to go to work tomorrow," JJ complained as she mounted the stairs, her muscles protesting at the physical activity.

"I can't imagine why," Spencer smirked as they reached the top.

"Maybe I should remind you," She wrapped her arms around his neck with a smile. "A certain someone kept me up until eleven, then a certain puppy woke me up at four in the morning."

"Lucky guy," he teased, kissing her. "What is he whining about?" Spencer asked as he caught sight of Hank. The puppy was lying outside Henry's door, his head on his paws, whining as he stared at door.

"This." JJ walked over to Henry's door, cracking it. The puppy ran inside, jumping onto the bed. He sniffed around for a minute before walking over to Henry. He nudged the stuff animal out from under his arm, crawling into its place. Henry sighed as his hand laced through Hank's fur and he curled up against the dog. Hank let out a yawn before lying his head on his paws once more, closing his eyes.

"Him and that dog," Spencer chuckled, shaking his head at the sight.

"He has a friend for life, that's for sure." JJ smiled as she shut the door back, heading down the hall.

"And so do I," he grinned, following her into the bedroom.

"Did you just compare me to a dog?" She raised an eyebrow, trying not to smile.

"N-no! That's not what I meant!" He looked mortified and fumbled for an excuse.

"I was just kidding, Spence. Go back to bed," She laughed before crawling into bed with a yawn.

"That is an order I'd be more than willing to follow."  
.

.

Henry yawned as he opened his eyes to a wall of fur. He smiled before sitting up, pushing the blankets off and petting Hank's back. "Need to go potty?" Hanks head shot up and he licked Henry's chin, earning a giggle from the boy. Henry crawled out of bed and opened his door, quietly making his way past his parents bedroom and down the hall, Hank of his heels. He reached the door and stood on his tiptoes, undoing the lock and opening the door for Hank.

After letting the puppy out he made his way back up the stairs, heading for his mom's room. He opened the door as quietly as possible before crossing the room, pulling himself onto the bed. Henry crawled over Spencer, careful not to hurt him, then posistioned himself by his mothers head. He bent over so he could whisper in her ear. "Mommy, wake up."

"Mmm, Hey buddy," JJ yawned as she forced her eyes open. "What are you doing up?"

"Hank needed to go potty."

"Let's go let him out then," JJ tried to clear the sleepy fog from her brain. The clock had informed her it was an hour before she needed to be up, but Henry had always been an early riser.

"I already did!" Henry beamed at her before giving her a hug.

"Good boy," She returned his hug before sitting up with another yawn.

"Guess what!"

"What?" JJ ruffled his hair, pulling him into her lap.

"It snowed!" Henry grinned at her.

"Ug, are you serious?" JJ inwardly groaned. It was bad enough they had to go back to work today.

"Yeah! Hank is playing in it!"

She groaned as she rolled out of bed, crossing the room to the window, Henry on her heels. She pulled the curtain aside and sure enough a layer of snow covered the ground. Henry was bouncing across the backyard, occasionally plowing his nose into the snow as his tail fanned the air. JJ smiled, shaking her head. That dog was crazy. "Well, it snowed, it's Monday and it's cold. I don't think today could get much worse."

"I make your day better!" Henry grinned up at her before tackling her legs with a giggle.

JJ laughed before scooping him up, planting a kiss on his lips with a pop. Henry giggled again, ducking away from her as she carried him from the room. "So I am willing to bet you are hungry. What would you like for breakfast?"

"I dunno," Henry wrinkled his nose, his forehead creased in thought.

"Well, I'm not sure how to cook "I dunno"." JJ smiled.

"Mommy," He let out an exhilarated sigh.

"I'm pulling your leg. Let Hank in before he freezes."

"Kay," Henry ran for the door once JJ sat him down. She proceeded into the laundry room, grabbing a towel from the dryer, reminding herself that she needed to fold laundry. Groaning she made her way back into the kitchen as Hank skidded across the floor in a circle, his wet paws losing traction on the tile. He spun into JJ then ran in place as he tried to take off again.

"Ew, he's all wet," Henry moved away from Hank as the puppy tried to jump on him.

"Gotcha!" JJ caught Hank in the towel, who started squirming and whining. She did her best to dry him off, running the towel over his entire body. Once he was fairly dry JJ turned him loose and he bounded upstairs, yapping.

After putting the towel in the dirty clothes JJ returned to the kitchen, sitting Henry on the counter. "So what do we want for breakfast little man?"

"Big man," He corrected her with a grin. "And waffles!"

"Waffles huh? That sounds doable," JJ smiled. "What kind of waffles?"

"Chocolate chip?" Henry smiled at her, giving her his best puppy dog look.

"I suppose we could do chocolate chip this time," she ruffled his hair.

"Will you make Hank a waffle?"

"Maybe a small one. We need to get you into the bath though. You are spending the day with Jessica and Jack."

"I'll take care of the bath," Spencer came around the corner, yawning. His short hair stood up at odd angles, his brown eyes still full of sleep.

"Decide to wake up did we?" JJ teased as she helped Henry slide off the counter and back onto the floor.

"Hard to sleep when a cold nose is pressed into your ear," Spencer chuckled. "Come on Henry, let's get you into the bath."

"Yay!" He giggled, climbing onto Spencer's shoulders. "Do I gotta go to school today?"

"No, you'll have to go next year though."

"Am I really staying with Jack?" Henry asked as they walked towards the stairs, leaving JJ in the kitchen to cook breakfast.

"Yes sir," Spencer smiled as he carried him up the stairs. "And Jack's Aunt. You remember her, right?"

"Uh huh!" Henry giggled as Spencer topled him onto the bed, walking over to his closet.

"Man Garcia spoils you," Spencer muttered as he dug around inside the closet. He found a pain of jeans and Henry's favorite shirt; it had spongebob's smiling face on one side and the back said "I'm a goofy Goober." He grabbed Henry's grey jacket as well before turning back to the boy. "Do we approve?"

"Yeah! That is my favorite shirt!"

"I know it is," Spencer ruffled his hair before leading him to the bathroom. He grabbed a towel from the linen closet and started the bathwater up, waiting for Henry to put his clothes in the laundry basket.

"Do I get bubbles Spence?"

"I don't see why not." Spencer grabbed the container from the cabinet and dumped some of the liquid in, watching the bubbles begin to rise. "Too hot or cold?"

"Nope," Henry replied as he crawled into the water. Spencer handed him a few toys before turning the water off and flicking some bubbles Henry's way.

"Call me or your mom whenever you get done, ok?"

"Kay," He was already absorded into the game he was playing with his pirate ship.

Spencer cracked the door before heading towards the bedroom to get himself ready. He had enjoyed the time they had off-he was able to spend most of the day with Henry and JJ. He was going to miss having the boy underfoot all day. With a sigh he opened the closet, looking for his clothes as he wished he could do anything but work that day.

.

.

"I'm ready," Henry leapt through the bedroom door with a grin, his towel wrapped around his shoulders like a cape.

"Alright. Did you finish all your breakfast?" JJ put her makeup bag away, turning in the chair to smile and Henry.

"Uh huh! Spence ate all his too!"

"Alright. Let's get Hank into his cage them we can leave, ok?"

"Ok! Come on Hank," he ran towards the back door. The puppy following, yapping as he skidded on the wooden floors, nearly hitting Henry's door. Henry pushed the puppy into the large kennel, making sure he still had food and water before kissing his nose. "By Hank! Be a good boy!" He grabbed the dogs bone from his bed and pushed it inside before latching the door and racing downstairs.

"Easy there," JJ caught him and steadied him as he nearly ran into her and he giggled as she tickled his side. "Ready to go?"

"Uh huh!" He grinned as JJ brushed his bang's away. "I think it is time for a haircut."

"Can I get my hair cut like Spencers?"

"Maybe," She laughed, shaking her head.

"Spence! We're leaving," Henry called up the stairs.

"I'm coming," Spencer padded downstairs, his bag slung over his shoulder. "Everyone ready?"

"Yeah!" Henry ran out to the car, standing on his tiptoes as he reached for the door handle. He managed to pull it open and scrambled up and into his car seat. Spencer helped buckle him in before sliding into the drivers seat, adjusting the mirrors.

Henry chatted on the way to Jessica's house, talking with Spencer. JJ listened, a smile on her face. Will had called for a total of maybe five minutes on Christmas day and didn't even bother sending him a present. Henry had been devastated that night, but Spencer had stepped in, making him feel better. JJ was glad he was going to be around for the boy from now on.

"We're here," she announced, opening up the car door for him. Henry scrambled out, grabbing his backpack full of toys before turning to his mother.

"Bye mommy."

"Bye buddy," She kissed the top of his head.

"Bye Spence," He waved before running towards Jack and Jessica, who were waiting on the porch.

JJ sighed as she slid back into the car, stifling a yawn. Spencer chuckled and watched until they went inside before pulling away from the curb. "Well, back to work."

"Joy."

. . . . . . .

The day went by alarmingly slow and uneventful. By time four rolled around, JJ was more than happy to leave. She had to take off early so she could pick up Henry and take Hank to the vet. He needed his puppy shots and a checkup. When she arrived home Henry was yapping in his cage, turning in circles, letting her know he needed to potty. She grabbed the smaller carrier and carried it downstairs, Hank on her heels. She opened the front door and he bolted out, taking care of business as she loaded the carrier into the car.

Hank finally settled down on the way to Jessica's and the drive went by in silence. When she pulled up to the house the boys were waiting on the porch with Jessica. JJ rolled the window down as Henry grabbed his backpack, running for the car after he waved to Jack and Jessica. He opened the car door, scrambling inside and crawling into his car seat.

"Hey there," Jessica smiled as she approached the car.

"Hey. Thanks again for watching him."

"Not a problem," She smiled as she watched Henry buckle his harness. "He is never a problem. Let me know if you ever need me to watch him again."

"Will do," JJ turned around to make sure Henry was strapped in correctly. Jack leaned through the window, telling Henry bye, before running back towards the house where his bike was waiting.

"Bye Henry," Jessica waved at Henry before returning to the porch.

"Hey there buddy," JJ reached back to ruffle his hair. "Have a good time today?"

"Uh huh! We got a cookie for lunch," Henry grinned. "And then we got to play in the snow and Jessica pulled on a sled!"

"Awesome! Sounds like a lot of fun."

"Yeah! What'd you do?" He questioned.

"Well, I filled out paperwork, then filled out some more paperwork, and oh, yeah, filled out even more paper work."

"Sounds boring," Henry wrinkled his nose."

"It is," JJ laughed.

"Hank," He giggled as the puppy licked his hand through the carrier door. "Why did you bring Hank?"

"We are taking him to the vet. He has to get his puppy shots."

"Is it going to hurt him?" Henry frowned.

"No, it won't hurt him. It will keep him from getting sick though," JJ assured him.

"Oh, ok… Where is Spencer?"

"He had to finish working."

"Ok. Mommy?"

"Yes," She smiled.

"I'm hungry!"

"Well we are here, so afterwards we will get you something to eat, ok?"

"Kay."

JJ parked the car before grabbing Hank's leash and walking around to the backseat. She opened the door and pulled the carrier out some, slipping her hand inside and looping the leash around Hank's neck. Henry unbuckled himself and crawled out, stretching as he stood beside her. JJ let Hank jump out and he shook once before going to sit at Henry's feet.

"Ready?" JJ smiled, shutting the door and locking the SUV after grabbing her purse.

"Yep!" He grinned.

"Let's go then." She took the leash, fighting the wiggling puppy as he tried to run everywhere but the door. "Knock it off dork," She pulled on the leash and he bolted for the door, yanking JJ forward.

"Bad boy Hank," Henry scolded the puppy, and grabbed the leash. Hank fell in obediently by his side, walking to the door without a problem.

"You have him spoiled," JJ laughed, holding the door open for them. They checked in, then sat down, waiting for their name to be called. Hank sniffed around, barking at the other dogs that came and went. Cat's cowered in the carriers, while an angry looking parrot eyed JJ.

"Eek, creeper, Eek," it crowded and JJ jumped.

"I hate birds," She muttered to herself.

"Hank Jareau?" A nurse called.

"Let's go," JJ picked Hank up, heading towards the nurse.

They were led into the back and down a hall, then into a smaller room. The nurse took Hank's temperature and weight before leaving JJ to wait for the vet. She leaned against the wall while Henry and Hank played in the corner, playing tug-o-war with the end of the leash.

"Hello, Ms. Jareau?" An older man entered the room, a stethoscope around his neck.

"Yes sir."

"Dr. Prots," he shook her hand. "And who might this be?" He smiled at Henry.

"Are you a stranger? Because I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," Henry wrinkled his nose.

"Henry," JJ scolded, although she was glad he was being cautious.

"I'm your puppy's vet. Can you tell me his name?"

"Hank."

"So you must be Henry then," he smiled at the blond haired boy.

"Uh huh. What are you gonna do to him?"

"Just give him a few shots, make sure he is healthy."

"You won't hurt him?"

Prots chuckled, squatting down to the boy's level. "I won't hurt him, I promise."

"Okay," He still frowned, going to stand behind him mothers legs.

"Ok Mr. Hank, come here." He picked the wiggling puppy up and sat him on the metal table. "His file says he is four months old, correct?"

"Yeah. He is a big boy."

"A very big boy. Forty pounds already."

"Wow," JJ's eye brows rose in surprise.

"Ok, Henry, want to help me?"

"How?"

"You can pet his head and talk to him while I give him his shots."

"Ok." He talked to the dog while JJ patted the puppy's head. The vet worked quickly and Hank was soon cleared with a clean bale of health. He got his shots and they were ready to leave.

"He looks good. You take care of him, ok?" Prots smiled at the boy.

"I will!" Henry giggled. "Come on Hank!" He clipped the leash on before leading him down the hallway.

"Thank you," JJ smiled at him before following the boy.

"Not a problem." He watched the blond boy with a strange glint in his eyes, but JJ didn't notice as she turned to leave. Prots grinned before heading into the break room, pulling out his laptop. He made sure no one was around before opening google.

_Jennifer Jareau, _he typed into the search engine before hitting enter.

**Side note: In the un-edited version they were already married, but in this version I have decided to hold off on that a bit. Just to clear up any confusion. Drop a rreview and thanks for reading!  
**


	7. Saving Henry

**And another one down. It'll be nice to finish all this so I can get back to writing! Quote is from an actual episode but it seemed to fit.  
**

_"Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that the dragons can be beat."_

**Friday:**

Prots sighed as he put the pot of coffee back onto its stand, taking a long drink from the cup he held in his hands. Normally the liquid would calm his nerves but today he was on edge, and for a good reason. He cast another glance towards the living room, chuckling as he head defiant screams. The child would calm down in time, once he accepted things. The boy was young enough to forget all about his past life, in due time. After pouring the remainder of the coffee down the drain Prots made his way into the living room, where the boy sat in the middle of the floor, frowning.

Prots walked around the child, examining him like a priceless award. His eyes took in every strand of blond hair, every freckle and bump. Blue eyes bore into his and he could feel the annoyance seeping from the child. He wasn't sure what had triggered the emotional connection he felt with the boy, but after the meeting he had found himself constantly thinking about the child. It was like a child connecting with a dog- he knew he must have the boy. So he had plotted, and waited, then struck whenever the time was right. Now he had the child all to himself.

"Now then," Prots crouched down with a smile. "It is time for nap big guy. Let daddy carry you upstairs."

"You're not my dad," he said defiantly, crossing his arms.

"But I am now," Prots said gently, trying to touch his face. The boy yanked away, swinging at the man's arm.

"Nah ah, none of that now," He scolded the child. "Or I'll have to punish you."

"I don't like you," he pouted. "My mommy's gonna kick your butt. Then I'm gonna get to go home."

"Your mommy is already here dear," He cast a glance at the sleeping woman on the couch. "We are a happy family."

The boy stuck his tongue out at Prots as he started to cry, tears leaking down his face. "I hate you."

"That is enough," Prots snapped, yanking him up by the arm. "We are going upstairs, NOW!"

"I wanna go home!" The boy cried harder, fighting Prot's hold.

"This is your home now. You are home, Henry."

**One Day earlier:**

JJ sighed, tapping her pen against her desk restlessly. The rest of the team had been given the day off, but she was having to help a new media liaison with her training. It was odd, doing that kind of work again after being in the field. Something she had once enjoyed now seemed boring and it was killing her to be sitting at a desk all day, trying to explain things to another person.

The trainees name was Kaylee and she had been eager to learn. She turned out to be pretty quick and witty and seemed to handle the basics pretty well. Her mock press conference had done fantastic and her only flaw was that she liked to gossip. The last half hour JJ had been listening to her story about her friend and the cleaning man for her boyfriends house. JJ had tuned her out for the most part, her thoughts on leaving so she could pick up Spencer from the day care at Jack's School. Spencer had a doctors appointment so Henry had had to spend the day at Day Care, although JJ hated the idea.

Her phone went off and she sighed, picking it up. "Hello?" JJ asked, spinning around in the office chair.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" Emily asked, sounding bored.

"I'm about to pull my hair out, other than that, fine," She chuckled.

"Same here. Hotch took Jack to the gym. We are in the middle of switching cables companies; the only channels I get are Spanish soap operas."

"Ooo, ouch," JJ laughed. "Sucks."

"Yeah. But hey, that's not why I called."

"What's up?" She absently scribbled on a piece of paper, doodling.

"PG wants to go out tonight. You game?"

"Sure. Spencer was taking Henry to the movies tonight anyway. They are showing a special edition of Cars."

"Perfect," she grinned. "We'll meet at her house around eight?"

"Sounds good to me," She yawned. "Save me?"

"Save me?" She retorted. "Apparently Alfonzo just broke Cecilla's heart," she groaned.

"Right. Well, good luck with your Spanish soap operas," She laughed before hanging up, leaning back in her chair. "I am going to go insane."  
.

.

"Come on," JJ sighed as she waited in the huge line outside of the school. She was running a little late, due to a run in with Strauss, who had nearly talked her ear off, asking question after question about Kaylee. By time she had got out the door it she has ten minutes late, then traffic had been horrible. Yet there were still people lined up outside, waiting to pick up kids.

Someone honked at her and flashed her the finger when she didn't move up quick enough for them. She took a deep breath, ignoring the man, not in the mood for conflict. The line continued to creep forward and after another ten minutes she finally reached the group of day care children that stood on the sidewalk. Her eyes scanned the little boys and girls, but she wasn't able to find Henry in the crowd. Worry began to gnaw at her stomach as the teacher approached.

"Last name?"

"Jareau."

"Henry Jareau?"

"Yes ma'am."

"He has already been picked up," The woman frowned.

"What?" JJ demanded.

"About ten minutes ago," She shrugged. JJ frowned as she pulled the car over into the parking lot, pulling her cell phone out and punching in Spencer's number, panic seeping over her brain. Something didn't feel right.

"Spence?" She asked as soon as he answered.

"Yeah? What's wrong?" Spencer asked, hearing the panic in her voice.

"Did you pick Henry up?"

"No… was I supposed to?"

"No, but he isn't here! His teacher said someone else picked him up!" Her voice took on a higher pitch, her heart race increasing.

"Who?" Spencer demanded.

"I don't know Spence! But Henry is gone!"

.

.

"Who did he leave with and why would you let him leave?" JJ demanded as she crossed her arms, standing in front of the teacher, who looked mortified. The rest of the team was on their way to the school and JJ was doing her best to keep calm and fight the panic that coursed through her veins. Losing control of her emotions and the situation wouldn't help Henry.

"Ma'am, the man had an FBI badge and an SUV that looked exactly like yours. He told me you were running late and that he was a collegue of yours. He even had a note with your signature on it," The teacher swallowed. "I gave Henry his bag and he followed the man. Are you telling me no one else is authorized to pick him up?"

"No, they aren't. I didn't ask anyone to pick him up," JJ raked a hand through her hair.

"JJ," Emily called, running over. Hotch was on her heels, Jack on his back.

"What the hell is going on?" Hotch demanded.

"Henry isn't here! She said he got in a SUV with a man who had an FBI badge. Said he was picking Henry up for me."

"Did he give you a name?" Morgan demanded, coming up behind them.

"No, but Henry seemed to know him. He mentioned something that really caught your sons attention, then they left together."

"And you let him go? Just like that?!" JJ frowned.

"He had a note...I didn't know."

"Ok, JJ, calm down," Emily laid a hand on her shoulder. JJ was looking sick, pacing in circles.

"We'll find him," Spencer frowned, wrapping her in a hug. She just laid her head against his chest, wondering where her baby boy could be.

"Garcia, run the security footage on those cameras. We are going to treat this like any other case. JJ, I need you to talk to Emily. Try to think of anyone Henry has come in contact with the last few months. Whoever took him knew who he was and Henry knew him. Somehow our unsub knew where to pick him up at and where he was. Reid, I need you with Garcia. If we can get a visual, I need you to see if you recognize him. See if you can pull any audio off the tapes. Henry has been missing half an hour. The clock is ticking."

. . . . . .

"JJ, come on. Focus." Emily gave her friends hand a squeeze.

"I know," She sighed. "Um, we went to the store together yesterday… our cashier was named Lainey. Tall, blond, skinny. She usually checks us out. We went to the library on Tuesday to check him out a book. The Librarian helped us, like always. His name is Coty Jones. Then we took Hank to the vet on Monday. The vets name was Trots, or something like that. Other than that we haven't been anywhere specific."

"Anywhere else public?"

"No. Between work and everything there hasn't been time. We haven't been to the park or movies, no one has come by."

"I'll have Garcia run a background on these names and see if anything comes up."

"Emily…What if we don't find him?" JJ bit her lip.

"JJ, We are going to find him," Emily pulled her into a hug. "We are going to find him," She repeated, trying to assure herself.

.

.

"No plates," Garcia frowned as she checked a different angle of the cameras. "But that looks a lot like the SUV's we use. How would he know that?" She frowned.

"I don't know. Maybe we know him. Ok, switch to the side view, see if we can get a face."

"I've got a partial," She paused the clip, freezing the image before dragging it onto a separate software. "Now let's see what we get from the other camera… here is a better view, but his cap is pulled low. Recognize him?"

"No, JJ might though. Hey Em, got anything?" Spencer looked up as Emily entered the room, a piece of paper in hand.

"Three names. JJ is pretty shaken up."

"Right," He got up. "Can you spare me for a few minutes?"

"Yeah," Garcia frowned. "Names?" She asked once Spencer had left to comfort JJ.

"Um, a librarian, Coty Jones. A cashier at Walmart, Lainey. And Hanks vet. But she wasn't sure on the name, she thought it might be trots."

"Ok…Let me see." She typed in silence a few minutes before sighing. "The two women have a criminal record with sealed files. It'll take me a minute to get into those. There is a vet in the area named Daniel Prots," Garcia offered.

"Sounds right."

"So far no red flags on him, we'll see what we find."

.

.

JJ paced the room depsite Spencer's please, her mind reeling. Who would take Henry? Why would anyone want to hurt him? Maybe a former unsub had returned to seek revenge. Her thoughts continued to run wild as Hotch entered the room, Morgan and Emily on his heels. Rossi was still trying to get a partial on the plate with Garcia.

"Do you have anything?" JJ sounded desperate.

"Maybe. Lainey had an alibi- she was at work all day. She had been charged with assault before, but it was more of a domestic dispute. Your librarian on the other hand is a bit creepy. He was charged with sexual harassment of his neighbor, attempted kidnapping of the same neighbor and domestic violence. The charges were dropped when he witnessed a murder- they cut him a deal since he testified. Then there is your vet. He is squeaky clean and kind of pathetic," Hotch frowned.

"His wife died five years ago after childbirth. The baby was underdeveloped and died after two days on life support. After that Prots kind of shut down. Other than going to work and the store he has lived a reclusive life since there. People at the clinic do not know him that well and he keeps to himself. His patients say he isn't very friendly."

"He was friendly when we went," JJ frowned. "He seemed normal. He talked to Henry and everything."

"Maybe he is our guy. I'll have Garcia run an address," Morgan jogged towards the door.

. . . . .

"Daniel Prots, FBI! Open up!" Emily shouted, standing next to the door. Hotch nodded to Morgan and he kicked the door in, the team filing into the house. They split up, taking different rooms, guns drawn.

"Clear," Hotch finally called, putting his gun back in the holster after everyone had completed their search.

"Well, he was definatly here," Morgan held up a bag of garbage. "This was left by the door. He left in a hurry."

"Phones were ripped from the jacks," Spencer frowned.

"Laptops here, shoved behind the desk," Emily grunted as she pulled on it. JJ went to help her, trying to keep worry and fear from eating at her. She had to stay strong for Henry.

"Got it," JJ leaned over, snatching it and passing it to Emily.

"Hand it here," Garcia entered the room, looking as panicked as JJ. "No one messes with my God Son and gets away with it," she frowned, opening the laptop.

JJ sighed, sitting down on the couch, watching her work. Spencer stood behind her, lying a hand on her shoulder. She looked up, putting her hand on top of his with a small smile.

"Anything?" Morgan asked.

"Scum bag deleted his history. But fret no. Handsome, hand me my laptop."

"Which handsome?" Morgan chuckled.

"Boy wonder handsome."

"Ah," Spencer grabbed it, handing it to her. She connected it to the other laptop and began typing and soon she pulled up several web pages about JJ, where she worked, and her person life.

"Woah," Emily frowned.

"Not cool," Garcia grumbled.

"Anything saying where he might be?"

"No."

"Rossi, get some search dogs out here," Hotch commented, thumbing through various journals and notes. "Garcia, keep working on the computer. There has to be something there. Hack into his emails, his social networks, anything. We have to find Henry. Morgan, Emily, help me finish searching. There might be something here. We are looking for something that might tell us where he is or where he is going."

"I'll get his picture out to the media," JJ said quietly.

"Are you sure? I can have someone else do it."

"Sitting around doing nothing is not going to help me find my baby , Hotch." She frowned, walking from the room. Hotch sighed, raking a hand through his hair. They had five hours left, then what would be left of Henry?

. . . . . .

**One hour left:**

"You can glare at me all day, but you aren't going anywhere," Prots commented, looking up from his magazine. Henry was sitting on the racecar bed in the corner, glaring at Prots. Instead of taking a nap or staying in bed he had been staring down the man for hours. He was a bad guy, Henry knew that much, and he wasn't going to let him win. Prots got up, walking to where the boy sat.

"Leave me alone," Henry's frown deepened.

"Poor little Henry. Mommy will be upstairs soon with your soup."

"No one else is here!"

"Yes they are. Mommy is just asleep," Prots reached out to stroke the boys face. "Everything will be ok, Jason."

"I'm not Jason," Henry whimpered.

. . . . . .

JJ sat slumped over the arm of the couch, her hair falling over her face. She had finally fell asleep out of pure exhaustion; she hadn't slept good the night before Henry went missing and she had refused to sleep at all since then. Spencer sighed, lying a blanket over her before turning back to Garcia.

So far, they had bitter sweet feelings about the things they find on the computer. There was no child pornography on it or pictures of children. So they were pretty sure Henry was safe in that matter. But there was also nothing telling where Prots might have gone or where he might be heading.

"What's bugging me is the lack of a sexual component or purpose for him taking Henry. Why would he just decided to abduct a child one day?" Hotch crossed his arms, keeping his voice down.

"That's what I was thinking," Morgan frowned.

"I might have something," Emily entered the room. "I've been thinking...maybe Prots is experiencing a psychotic break? What if he is trying to replace the family he lose? Even though he was only alive for two days, his son had blond hair and blue eyes. What if he is trying to rebuild his world?"

"Garcia, do you have a death certificate on the son?"

"Yes...a Jason Prots. He was buried at the mother's family farm about an hour away. The place has long since been abandoned since it burned down. The only think left standing was a small ranch house. I can't pull any satelite pictures because it is a private property."

"It is worth a shot. Send the address over," Hotch grabbed his keys as they woke JJ up and headed for the SUV's. This was one of their last chances- either they were going to find Henry or Prots would be a whole twenty four hours ahead of them and Hotch had seen too many cases like that go cold. JJ grabbed her jacket before following Spencer, a new found hope in her chest. She wasn't giving up on her son.

.

.

"Emily and I have the backdoor," Morgan whispered as they split off from the group, heading around back. They pulled their guns, flipping on the light beams as they made their way through the overgrown yard. At the back of the house they find a run down porch, the boards mostly rotted. Morgan took the steps as quietly as possible before trying the back door. "It's unlock," He whispered to Emily.

"We're in," She mumbled into her mic before following Morgan into the dark out. A pot of coffee was on the stand in the corner, two plastic plates in the trash can, one still full. A cellphone was on the counter, the battery beside it, as well as Henry's backpack. "He is here," She confirmed, training her gun on a door to the right. She pushed it open, clearing the room.

Soon the team met in the living room as silently as possible before taking the stairs. They cleared the other rooms then finally came to another shut door. Morgan pushed it open and JJ's blood ran cold. Prots stood behind Henry, his arm wrapped around the boys neck, a gun to his head. Henry's eyes widened and he tried to struggle, but he couldn't get loose.

"Drop the gun!" Hotch barked as seven other guns trained on Prots.

"Leave or I'll shoot him!" Prots screamed. "I won't let you take Jason! Not again!"

"Jason is dead, Prots! That isn't your son."

"Yes it is," He screamed. "You can't take him!"

"Prots, put the gun down," Morgan took a step towards him.

"NO! I'll kill us both before I let you take him!"

"Mommy," Henry caught her gaze. JJ blinked away the tears that formed in her eyes, trying not to lose it. Her son stood within a couple of feet of her, a gun pressed to her head. How had she managed to let this happen? How could she fail him like that. The tears started to leak and Henry frowned. "Don't cry mommy."

"I love you Henry."

"I love you too." Henry suddenly frowned again, a look of sheer determination appearing on his face. In one quick moved he drove his elbow into Prot's crotch before scrambling out of the mans arm, running for his mother. Prots staggered back in pain before training the gun on the boy and his mother.

"YOU CAN'T HAVE JASON!" He screamed, pulling the trigger.

Spencer dove at the two, knocking them aside as several shots filled the air. Prots dropped to the floor, dead, as the other agents raced to Spencer's side. He laid on his bed, two holes in his shirt, right below his ribcage. He had saved JJ and Henry, but he had given his life in the process. JJ started to cry, burying her face in Henry's hair. Henry was crying as well, closing his eyes and pressing his face into JJ's stomach. How could things end this way?

**Next chapter is in the works. Review please. Things are not as they seem…**


	8. A Child's Touch

**Chapter 8. I've been pretty busy lately so sorry for the slow updates. Thanks for the reviews so far, keep 'em coming and feel free to check out some of my other work :)  
**

"Spence!" JJ was the first to reach his side, since she was closet to him when Prots had shot. She checked for a pulse as Hotch and Morgan raced across the room. Rossi was crouched beside Prots, his own hands covered in blood. Emily was stripping off her sweatshirt to use on Prots' own wounds.

"Reid, come on," Hotch frowned as he knelt next to the young man.

"Dammit kid, stay with me now. Don't you do this," Morgan ordered, pressing his hands against the open wounds. JJ stripped off her jacket and offered it to Morgan. He balled it up and pressed it as tightly as he could against the two holes, bleed seeping through the fabric.

"Where the hell is the ambulance?" Hotch looked at Rossi.

"I don't know! They are on their way. Prots is still hanging in there- I'd love for him to make it so we can charge his sorry ass," Rossi frowned.

Spencer Reid heard it all, but it all seemed so far away. Like he was listening to a echoey recording. He wanted to answer them, wanted to say he would be fine, but he couldn't seem to make his body move. It felt like someone had stuck a hot brand right through his ribs. He couldn't seem to breath, couldn't make his body work.

"Come on Spence," He felt another pair of hands on his chest as Hotch began compressions.

"Clear out," A EMT rushed through the door, following by two others. "We need you to move!"

"Spence," a younger voice whimpered. "Wake up," He felt a small hand on his face.

Spencer sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes flying open. Morgan crouched next to him, his shirt and hands covered in blood. JJ blew a strand of her out of her face as she grabbed Henry, pulled him away from the bloody mess as the EMT's approached. He groaned, wishing the room would stop spinning.

"Thank God," Hotch let out a sigh of relief as he backed away.

"Kid, I'm going to kick your ass," Morgan frowned.

"Stay with us," JJ demanded, holding his gaze. He managed a weak nod, searching the room for Henry. He found the little boy and smiled weakly, earning a wide grin in return.

"Let's get him on the gurney." A paramedic shouted and he felt himself being lifted into the air.

"I'll ride with him," JJ said quickly.

"We'll take Henry and meet you guys there," Emily picked her nephew up as Rossi helped the other EMT load Prots onto a second gurney.

Spencer was jolted as he was loaded into the back of the ambulance and he closed his eyes again. He heard the doors slam and the sirens roar to life and his head began to spin again as his vision faded. When would the pain stop?  
. . . . . .

JJ sat slumped over the arm of a recliner, Henry curled up against her side. His breathing was slow and even, his blond hair falling over his closed eyes. JJ kept waking up, her gaze drifting to a sleeping Spencer then back to her sleeping son. Spencer had passed out in the ambulance and had yet to wake up, despite going through surgery.

Thankfully, the bullet had pierced a rib and nothing else. It had fractured it, but it had also stopped it from doing more damage. After removing the bullet in surgery and patching him up, they said he should be fine. So now JJ was waiting for him to wake up. The rest of the team was in the waiting room, pacing and waiting as well. Hotch was on the phone with Jessica, trying to make sure Jack had a place to stay for the night. Morgan and Prentiss were sharing snacks from the vending machine while Rossi paced.

Prots had went into surgery and was still there; they were not sure he would make it. Every agent in the room that night had been trained to shoot to kill and that is what they had done. Prots ended up with a bullet in his lung and one lodged just below his heart. Removing them was proving to be difficult and they weren't sure he would make it through the surgery. The thought made JJ angry; she hated when cases played out like this. Death was an escape from the punishment they should have to pay.

"Mommy?" Henry whispered, blinking a few times as he yawned.

"Hey there sugar," she brushed the hair off his forehead. "You sleep ok?"

"Uh huh." He yawned, rubbing his blue eyes. The doctors had checked him out, then deemed him perfectly fine. The little boy didn't seemed shaken in the least bit. He had told Hotch he knew his mommy would find him. That had made JJ's day, aside from Spencer not dying, knowing her son had such faith in her. "When's Spencer gonna wake up?" He frowned, looking at his best friend.

"I don't know. He got hurt pretty bad." She sighed. He had taken that bullet for them. The other would have hit him in the chest if he didn't have his vest on. But some how one had managed to wedge between the sides of the vest, burying itself in his ribs.

"He got shooted?"

"Yes, he got shot."

"Is he gonna live?" Henry began to sound panicked.

"Yeah honey, he is going to live. Are you hungry?"

"Uh huh," he said sleepily, rubbing his eyes again.

"Alright. Come here." She hated to leave Spencer's side, but Henry also needed to be taken care of.

JJ picked the boy up, sitting him on her hip before heading towards the waiting room. He wrapped his arms around her neck, lying his head on her shoulder. When she entered the living room five sets of eyes landed on her and she shook her head, letting them know Spencer was still out of it.

"Hey there big guy. Finally decide to wake up?" Morgan smiled at his nephew, ruffling the boy's hair as he took him from JJ.

"I bet you're hungry," Emily grinned. "Guess what I have?"

"I dunno."

"Here," She smiled, handing JJ the happy meal. "We got it a few minutes ago. Hotch figured he would be waking up soon enough."

"Thanks," She shot them a grateful smile.

"Chicken," the boy said gleefully as Morgan sat him down beside a lounge table, opening up the food for him. He ate quickly and quietly, not fussing or whining; JJ knew he was tired and he tended to get cranky, but today he was being exceptionally calm.

"You all finished?" Hotch asked as Henry stuck his trash back inside the both.

"Uh huh!"

"I'll clean this up," Emily smiled at JJ. "You both look like you're ready to go back to sleep."

"Thanks," She said gratefully, picking Henry back up. "Come on big guy."

They returned to Spencer's room to find him still asleep. He had shifted, his arm now lying across his stomach. Henry sighed, turning to look at JJ. "Can I sleep with him?"

"You have to be very still, ok?"

"Kay." He crawled onto the bed, eyes going wide when it made a noise. JJ smiled, nodding for him to continue. He crawled over to Spencer, curling against his side, his eye lids already sagging. JJ draped an extra blanket over them, kissing Henry's forehead. The little boy grinned before closing his eyes, his hand curling around Spencer's.

JJ grinned at the sight, getting the last blanket and wrapping it around her own shoulders before settling back into her chair. She closed her eyes, a smile on her face. Maybe, just maybe, things would be ok.

. . . . . .

Spencer's eyelids felt like lead. He heard soft snoring beside him and he forced his eyes open, blinking a few times as his eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room. An IV was in his arm and a oxygen tube was making his nose itch. He smiled, finally noticing Henry. The little boy was curled around his arm, looking up at him with wide blue eyes.

"You woke up," Henry whispered.

"Yeah, I woke up," he managed. His voice was hoarse from lack of use and sleep. "Are you ok?" He asked, brushing the hair off Henry's forehead.

"Uh huh! Are you ok?" He titled his head.

"I'm fine."

"Mommy's sleeping," he whispered, yawning himself.

"Then let's let her sleep, ok? She had a long day too."

"I know," he giggled softly. "Guess what?"

"What?" Spencer smiled at him, ignoring the pain in his side.

"I love you," he grinned, copying what his mother had told him so many times before.

Spencer managed a slight chuckle, reaching over to ruffle his hair. "I love you too, but you're a dork."

"Hey," He wrinkled his nose, grinning.

"You know, I have to agree with him," came a soft voice from the right. Spencer turned to find JJ smiling at them, her hand propping up her head. "Hey there."

"Hey," He smiled.

JJ got up, going to sit beside him. He laced his hand through hers with a grin, thankful she had stayed. "Did we wake you up?"

"No," She smiled. "I've been awake for a while now. Feeling ok?"

"I feel like I got shot."

"Very funny," she glared at him lightly.

"I'm fine, JJ." He chuckled. "How long have you been up here?"

"Since they brought you in. So a day."

"Wow. When can I go home?"

"Not sure. They removed the bullet and patched you up. Cracked a rib."

"That would explain why it's hard to talk."

"Don't strain yourself," she frowned, running a hand over his cropped curls.

"I won't," he yawned. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," she assured him. "Why'd you do it?"

"Do you really have to ask?"

"No," She sighed. "I still feel responsible. You're always getting hurt because of me. I'm like your bad luck charm."

"There is no such thing as bad luck. A random occurrence of events could happen to any person at any given time. Do you know how many times salt shakes are knocked over a day?"

"No Spence, I don't," She laughed before kissing him. He blushed, but kissed her back with a grin.

"Ewy," Henry covered his eyes.

"I'm with the little guy," Morgan propped his frame against the door.

"How are you feeling?" Rossi asked.

"Like he got shot," JJ rolled her eyes before he could answer.

"Kid," Morgan chuckled, "You scared the crap out of us."

"Just keeping you on your toes," Spencer retorted with a grin.

"Right," Emily rolled her eyes. "I ought to kick your butt."

"JJ will protect me."

"Not likely. If you weren't hurt, I'd be kicking your butt. You scared me half to death."

"That's not possible."

"Can it, smart ass," Morgan chuckled.

"We'll check on you tomorrow. Rest," Hotch patted his shoulder before leaving, Emily on his heels.

Spencer grinned, knowing things would be alright.

. . . . . . . .

**A few days later**

"Still stuck on Christmas?" Spencer teased JJ as he caught her humming The First Noel. She rolled her eyes, sticking her tongue out at him.

"What if I am?" She asked, propping her hands on her hips.

"I don't know," He chuckled, leaning his crutches against the counter and reaching for a glass.

He would be on crutches for a few weeks more weeks before the doctor cleared him to walk again. The doctors didn't want him putting too much weight on his ribs while the fracture healed, so he had to have another way to transfer his weight. To JJ"s horror, he was getting far too good at using them; No one should have to be on crutches long enough to learn tricks.

"Daddy," Henry grinned, racing into the room.

"Hey buddy," Spencer chuckled. The boy hadn't called him Spencer again since that day in the hospital. It didn't but him one bit and it was a plus to see JJ smiling all the time.

"I tooked a bath," Henry beamed at them.

"Took, you took a bath," JJ corrected with a laugh, ruffling his damp hair. Henry had been wanting a haircut, so JJ had finally given him one the night before. It was now short and resembled Spencer's,much to the boys glee.

"Uh huh! And I put my dirty clothes up," he turned to grin at his mother.

"That's my boy," she laughed. "Where Hank?"

"Asleep by the fireplace."

"Ok. Well, are you hungry?" JJ sat him on the counter with a smile.

"Yeah," he wrinkled his nose. "Can I have a cookie?"

"Not until you eat," Spencer chuckled. "Because then you wouldn't be saving the best for last."

"Right!" He grinned again.

"Let's see, you can have a sandwich or a hot pocket. We really need to go to the store," JJ frowned as she thought about what little food they had left. Things had been crazy since Spencer had been released from the hospital. Prots had survived the operation, which was bittersweet for the team. He was now recovering behind bars, where he would stay for the rest of his life; not only had he kidnapped a child, he had assaulted a Federal Officer. JJ had been given a week off afterwards, but then it was back to work. Cases had been pouring in one after another and thankfully Strauss demanded that Spencer stay home for at least two weeks before returning; that meant Henry had someone to stay with him. To JJ's relief her son acted like nothing had ever happened. Henry was as happy and outgoing as ever.

"I know. We are out of pickles," Spencer chuckled, pulling the last one from the jar and wrapping a paper towel around it.

"Hey,that was mine," she laughed, stealing a bite before smirking at him. Spencer shook his head, smiling.

"I'm so offended," he teased.

"So?" She grinned.

"Mommy, hungry!"

"Hold on you little scamp," she tickled his sides. "You never did tell me what you want."

"Lemme go," he giggled as she tickled him.

"So what's it going to be," JJ turned him loose..

"Hot pocket!"

"Ok then," JJ laughed. "Want anything?" She turned towards Spencer.

"Nah, me and my pickle are good," he said slyly. She rolled her eyes, tossing a wad of paper at him.

"Sicko."

"Oh please," he chuckled. "Better be nice to me or I might leave you standing at the altar," he teased.

"Sure you would," she grinned before hugging him. "Morgan would kill you."

"I'd have to kill myself," he smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too," she reached up to kiss him before snatching the rest of his pickle and stepping out of his reach.

"Pickle thief." Spencer crossed his arms, mocking a frown.

"You know it." JJ tossed over her shoulder as she opened the freezer, pulling a box of hot pockets out. She tossed one on a plate before sticking it in the microwave, setting the time. She turned to look at the two people she loved the most before leaving the room. If someone would have told her a few years ago that she would end up with Spencer and have an amazing son, she would have laughed at them. Now she was just grateful she had made the decisions she had; they had lead her straight to this**.**


End file.
